


Ice Hell Storytime

by Oryx_Gazella



Category: Don't Hug Me I'm Scared (Short Film)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-28
Updated: 2014-12-31
Packaged: 2018-02-15 02:53:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2213043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oryx_Gazella/pseuds/Oryx_Gazella
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Weekly one-word prompt challenges</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fireworks

**Author's Note:**

> So me n my crew on tumblr decided we would all get together and, given a the same prompt, independently write a fic with it and see what everyone comes up with, but now its out of hand and fun and we're doing it every week. 
> 
> i just wanted to post these here because i know at least one person thought i stopped writing and thats not true im jsut SLOW AT MAINFIC PROGRESS
> 
> prompt is in the chapter titles, and don't consider these 'canon' in terms of the main fic progress. not that it would impact a whole lot, but the main fics harry doesnt have a new bedroom, this doesnt alter paige n tone's 'turn' order, etc.

Miraculously, Harry saw them approaching the house just as he was pulling into the driveway, moments before they had the chance to knock on the front door. 

            Their heads turned, giving smiles and waves as Harry opened the car door.

            “Hey!” One called, cheerful. “We just got moved in, and figured we had better say hello to our new neighbors!” 

            Harry’s heart was racing; he had barely registered what they looked like until now, thinking only of keeping them from encountering Tony or Paige.  There were several empty houses on the block, and he hadn’t noticed until now that the ‘For Sale’ sign two houses away had been taken out of the grass.

            He climbed out, trying to compose himself and act  _normal_.  There were three of them, college-aged, maybe late 20s, but outwardly friendly enough. 

            One of them offered Harry his hand.

            “I’m Mark, this is my girlfriend, Ellen, and this is our friend, Jason.”

            “Harry.”  He replied, shaking their hands as they were introduced, giving a polite smile.

            “We saw some lights on while we were heading over, does anyone else live here?”  Jason asked.

            “Ah, yeah.  They-we’re…splitting the rent five ways.” As if either of those two did anything more than drain Robin and his bank accounts.

            “Oh wow, that sounds cramped.  Must be easier on your wallet, though.”

            “Ha, yeah a bit, though it helps that two of them work third shift and sleep during the day.  Less activity at one time.”  He was used to lying about Tony and Paige; he had a variety of stories to ‘cover’ for them.

            “It’s a good thing we didn’t knock on the door and wake them up, then!”

            “It is, they’re pretty heavy sleepers but have short tempers if they’re woken up.”

            Mark smiled. “Don’t we all?” 

            “Well it was nice meeting you, I hope you get settled soon!”  Harry said, starting for the door. 

            “See you around!”  One of them called.

            Harry got inside and exhaled.  It was a fucking miracle Tony and Paige hadn’t come out.  He had been expecting at least one of them to overhear the conversation, throw the door open, and put on that sickly-sweet act while eyeing up their new victims.

            At  _least_  one house in the neighborhood was empty as a direct result of Paige and Tony ‘visiting’ them.  They never admitted to it, and Harry never saw any bodies (none that he recognized, anyway), but he  _knew_.  They got bored or annoyed or bloodthirsty during the day and probably simply knocked on a door and were invited right inside.  Whether they killed the occupants or just menaced them, he couldn’t tell, but there was no way six homeowners on the same street all just  _decided_  to move out within a year.   

            Hopefully the same wouldn’t happen to these three.  He wished they would just quietly move in, not wandering around the neighborhood greeting everyone.  But what could he possibly say?  ‘Don’t leave your house because there are literal monsters living here that will murder you if they get the chance’?  He’d sound crazy.

            The best he could hope for was for them to remain unnoticed and uninteresting.  He’d have to let Robin know to not mention the new neighbors around Tony or Paige.

            As if summoned by the thought, Tony strolled into the living room as Harry was taking off his jacket.  Harry tried not to react to him too obviously, carefully watching him out of his peripheral vision as he meticulously hung up a clock.  He tried to measure his movements as carefully as possible; leaving the room too quickly could result in Tony chasing after him, but standing around too long would just be an  _invitation_.

            Harry had almost made it through to the dining room when Tony spoke, the sound jolting through him.

            “That was an unusually long time between the car door slamming and you entering the house…Was there  _something_  outside?”

            Still turned away from Tony, Harry bit hard on the inside of his lip.  Did Tony know he had been talking to the neighbors?  If Tony had seen him talking and Harry lied now…he might as well just throw himself right onto the sword to save time.  But if he was just being his usual, obsessively controlling self, Harry could keep the neighbors safe for a little while longer…    

              “There was a dog running lose.  I thought I might’ve known whose it was; it wouldn’t come near me, though.”  Harry held his breath, hoping Tony didn’t notice it.

            “Oh.”  His interest dissipated immediately, going back to straightening out the clock on the wall. 

            Harry was shocked he got off so easily.  Normally he’d try to ‘test’ him on every answer, trying to catch a lie.

The source of Tony’s calm demeanor was revealed when he saw kitchen; blood coated the floor in messy puddles, streaked up the cabinets and fridge, long strands of bright hair littered around.  Red handprints smeared across the countertop, and a chair leg had been snapped off and nowhere to be seen.

He sighed and hoped Paige’s body wasn’t somewhere in the house; or at least, not on anything of his.  He made a mental note to be especially careful around her for the next few days.

            Upstairs, Robin was on his bed reading. 

            “It sounded like he dragged her up into the attic.”  Robin said as Harry entered the room, not looking up.

Harry shut the door and headed to his own folding bed, pulling his laptop out from under it.

            “We have new neighbors, Tony and Paige don’t know.”

            “Keep it that way?”

            “Keep it that way.” 

            It was successfully kept that way.  Tony and Paige were far more concerned with mangling each other than anyone else, and the neighbors stayed away, hopefully deterred by the ‘third shift’ line. 

            A week later, Harry was feeling pretty accomplished, having effectively saved three people from serious torment, if not death. 

            Monday night, he went to bed early.  He had a morning shift, and Robin’s afternoon hours meant they’d have to juggle the car around a bit.  Tony and Paige had been calm today, engrossed in their own projects, so he didn’t expect any commotion overnight.  Harry got comfortable in bed, and fell asleep without trouble.

            Harry woke up.  He turned over and groaned.   _Why_?  He finally had a chance to get a full night’s sleep, only for it to be ruined by…what?  He looked at the clock; almost 2 AM.  He closed his eyes again, hoping to get back to sleep quickly.

            A high whine and a loud bang made him jump, and he knew.   _Fireworks_. 

            It was then he heard something else through the wall.  Angry cursing.   _Tony getting up._  

            Harry sat up, staring out at the window, praying he wouldn’t hear another one.   _Just stop now_ , he silently pleaded,  _and maybe Tony will go back to sleep_.

            The sky flashed in red, and another deafening bang followed a few rapid heartbeats later.

            Tony’s door slammed open.  Stomping feet stormed down the hall to Paige’s room, and he began banging on her door.  She answered after two of them.

            He couldn’t make out their words, but he didn’t really have to.  In a rush of sleep-addled stupidity, Harry got out of bed. 

            He left the room, leaving Robin still unaware and snoring (he was the heaviest sleeper in the house, oddly enough.)  Harry nearly collided into a _very_  irritated-and-tired-looking Tony in the hallway, Paige right behind him.  Both of them were about to leave in their sleepwear, leading Harry to believe there probably wouldn’t be any survivors.  Tony gave him a glare that could melt glass.

            “W-wait, you don’t have to go out there, I’m sure they’ll stop.”  Almost mocking him, another firework went off and echoed through the streets.       

            Tony’s mouth twitched up, a frightening smirk playing at his lips.  “Yes,  _I’m sure_   _they will_.” 

            Tony and Paige shoved past him, stalking toward the stairs.  Harry started after them, about to say something else when Paige whipped around.  His back hit the wall as she approached and stared him down.

            “ _Did you want to come and watch_?”  She hissed.  “ _Or are you volunteering to help us warm up_?”

            He shook his head, adrenaline making his heart slam in his chest.  She narrowed her eyes, and turned to rejoin Tony.  They left his sight and the house without a word.

            Harry stood there, pressed against the hallway wall, lost for a solution.  He didn’t have a phone number to call and warn them somehow, he’d never be able (or  _allowed)_  to beat Paige and Tony there, and he couldn’t make them stop.

            Another loud crack.  How far down the street were those two?  How long until he heard screaming?

            Harry walked downstairs, knowing it’d be impossible to try and go back to sleep now.  In the kitchen, his eyes drifted to the cabinet they kept the booze in.  No; he had work in the morning, best not to chance a hangover, even in this situation.  He opted for a bottle of water instead.  He’d probably be need sleeping pills, too.

            Through the open window he heard a distant, cut-off shout.  His heart dropped.  There was no further commotion for a few long minutes until a muffled banging noise.  Three more of those, in rapid succession.  One more.  It was quiet after that.

            Harry sat there at the kitchen table, head in his hands, staring down at the wood grain. 

            The door opened.  Paige and Tony’s voices were audible now.

            “I’ve never seen fireworks quite like that before, what a lovely color!”

            “Yes, but you didn’t have to set it off so  _close_  to me, darling.”

            They strolled into the kitchen, clothes and skin splashed with red.  He smelled gunpowder.

            Tony paused, looking at Harry.  “You didn’t tell us we had new neighbors.”  

            “We probably seemed  _so rude_  to not welcome them to the neighborhood when they moved in.”  Her eyes glanced up to Tony, and she turned her head, as if suddenly noticing something.  “Tony, love, you’ve got blood all over your face.”  Paige murmured, reaching out to rub ineffectively at his cheek.

            “So do you, sweetheart.  You go take a bath first, I don’t want you getting blood on anything of mine.” 

            “ _Tch_ ” Paige scoffed, but started up the stairs.  Tony followed after her, leaving Harry alone in the kitchen again.

            He hunted down those sleeping pills.  Waking up would be a pain, but he’d never be able to fall asleep on his own tonight.  

            ‘Missing persons’ alerts were out within days.  No, Harry assured the officer at his door, he hadn’t seen anything strange. 

            Weeks later, that ‘For Sale’ sign was back in the yard.

 


	2. Harry's Birthday

It wasn’t for a week.   Harry still had a full week to go before… _something_  happened.  Well, his birthday, for one; but he wasn’t foolish enough to think the date would just go by quietly.   _Something_  was going to accompany it, courtesy of Paige and Tony.

            He didn’t want a  _gift_.  He didn’t want a  _surprise_.   _He didn’t want a party_. He just wanted it to be over with.

            Already on edge, Harry got up a full hour earlier than Tony; exhaustion was preferable to confrontation.  He rubbed at his eyes as he snuck downstairs, body aching from lack of sleep.  It was going to be a rough seven days.

 

* * *

 

            Paige woke up in the afternoon, kicking off her blankets excitedly.  By now the house was empty except for her and Tony;  _perfect_.  She got dressed and bounced downstairs, wondering where Tony was currently sulking.  It was her turn, so she had no reservations about tracking him down.

            He wasn’t in the kitchen; though she didn’t particularly expect him to be.   After he repeated his coffee routine, he’d go off and barricade himself in the workshop or read in the living room, trying to look as unapproachable as possible. 

            And there he was, nose buried in some dull tome, noticing her presence but purposely ignoring her. 

            “Tony” she sang, determined to get his attention.  She approached the armchair from behind, hanging her head and arms over the back.  

He didn’t respond.  Oh, she could kill him here; she loved turning his stubbornness against him.  But no, not right now.

“ _Toonnyyyyy_ ” She whined in that practiced pitch that made his teeth grind together.  She tapped her fingers on his shoulders.

He sighed harshly, closing the book with a snap.  “ _What_.”       

“We should be preparing.” 

“For what, exactly?”  He leaned away from her touch.

“Oh come on, you of  _all_  people should know our roommate’s birthday is on Thursday!”

“So?”  He stood up, carrying the book back to the shelf, glancing back at her in what he thought was a subtle action.  “We’ll purchase a  _boring_  gift for him and allow him to celebrate another year of his life ticking away.  What do we need to  _prepare_?”

“I had a better idea for what we should get him.”

“Then go get it, we just got a new card last week, and they haven’t frozen the account yet.”

“I think we should redecorate the attic for him.”

Tony turned, one eyebrow raised, staring at her as if he didn’t understand a word she said.  “I’m sorry; ‘ _redecorate the attic’,_ Paige?”

“So he could have his own room!”

“Do you understand how  _long_  that would take?  For our  _roommate_?”  He shook his head, disgusted.  “I’m not going to waste my time on that.  Just buy him something like normal and be done with it.”

Paige dropped the cheeriness, and stormed over, cornering him against the bookcase. 

“ _Listen_.  You know  _why_  we buy them  _nice_  things on their birthdays.”  She hissed up to him.  “But you can see how frayed that one is getting.  An expensive object isn’t enough incentive to keep him here.”  An unnerved expression flashed across his face, caught off guard by her closeness and sudden tone change. “He can say he’s tied here because of his precious  _friends_ as much as he wants, but you know how they are.  You’ve seen them _break_.  He’ll take off with the money and the car and those two will get  _boring_ , fast.  Finding a new place to live will take  _much_  longer than redecorating the attic.”

Tony was silent for a split-second too long before composing himself, straightening his shoulders and regaining his typical snobbish expression.  “ _Fine_.  The attic’s filthy, though, we need to clean it.  And… _paint_  it.”  He spat the word like a curse.  “Not to mention decorating…and keeping it a ‘ _surprise’_ …”

Paige ignored his grumbling, satisfied with winning the argument.  “We’ll need a car.”  She walked to the front door, peering out the glass window.  “The one we parked across the street hasn’t been found yet, shall we take that one?” 

“Alright.”  Tony  _hated_  agreeing with her; he spoke as if it were painful.   _She loved it_.

Still, it was best not to lord it over him  _too_  much.  She needed his cooperation to get this done on time.  They grabbed the keys and valid credit cards, and strolled across the street to the vehicle parked at a vacant house.  Paige climbed in the driver’s side; Tony kept his sword with him on the opposite seat, too suspicious to leave it behind.  He’d keep it in the car to enter stores, but he was rightfully wary when alone with Paige.

Despite how much she’d love to slam the passenger side into a semitruck, Paige restrained herself.  They made it to the hardware store with little more than a few dozen sarcastic digs.  No bloodshed this time, which was good since they were running low on stolen cars.

“Should we paint it red?  He seems to like red, but would it be good for the whole room?”  She talked as they approached the store, not expecting a response.  “Purple?  Blue?  And what  _shade_?  Darker or lighter?  What about a patterned accent wall?”

Tony didn’t argue.  Design wasn’t one of his stronger points, and he just let Paige talk as they passed through the automatic doors into the heavy scent of sawdust and chemicals.

“A dark color could make the room seem cozy, or should we try to make it look spacious?  Maybe-” Paige cut off with a small gasp. 

_They were having a sale on powertools_.

“Paige, no.”  She was already at a display, Tony chasing after her.  “We’re here for  _paint,_ not…”  He trailed off, picking up a cordless drill and turning it over in his hands.

“Is this big enough?” 

“Is what big eno-” Tony looked up, almost colliding with the orbital sander Paige was comparing to his face.

Tony narrowed his eyes and put the drill down.  “Come on, stop wasting time.”   He began walking to the paint section, not waiting for Paige to follow.

She did, however, follow.  The tools would be there when they left.

A wall of paint samples stretched out in front of them.  Paige’s eyes widened at the huge spectrum.  She could almost  _hear_  Tony screaming internally as she started collecting the little rectangles of color. 

He stood beside her, scowling.  “Are you narrowing the possibilities down or is this just making it  _worse_?” 

Paige ignored him, plucking more swatches from their holders.  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tony’s hand drift toward a sample of several blues.  He took it, bringing it close to his face and squinting.

“Are these two even different…?”  He muttered.

“Can I help you two find anything?”  A friendly voice called from behind them.

Paige turned around, annoyed that someone thought she needed  _help_  picking out a  _color_.  A middle-aged man in a store uniform stood, smiling.

“No, we’ve got this covered.”  Paige replied, trying to keep the anger in her voice to a minimum.

“You sure ma’am?  You’ve got a lot of samples there, do you have a specific palate in mind?” 

She felt Tony’s hand on her shoulder, trying to tell her not to strangle anyone in public. 

He cut her off before she could snap at the man.

“Do you have anything…durable?  Any paint brands that could resist staining?”  He was trying to placate this employee, make him run off and do something else, but Paige didn’t think he warranted such…politeness.

“Sure we do!  Painting your kid’s room, eh?  How old is the little guy?”

Paige couldn’t keep her face from twisting in revulsion, feeling her stomach turn like she had just taken a low dose of white snakeroot.  Tony inhaled sharply, his hand jerking away from her shoulder, fingers curling in slightly. 

“ _No_.  We just need the paint for a room that might get used heavily.”  Tony managed to say, jaw tense.

“I’ll be right back with some samples, then!”  The man tottered off down the aisle.

            Paige stared after him, still sickened. 

            “I want his eyes.”  She hissed to Tony, not looking up.  He deserved to lose them for putting such a revolting image in her head.

            “I want his tongue.”  He replied.

“Deal.” 

The man came back with a suitable base paint.  She picked out a shade; a deep red called ‘Vintage Claret’, and they stocked up on primer, rollers, brushes, painter’s tape, and trays. 

Tony looked down at their cart full of paint supplies.

“Let’s go get you that orbital sander, love.” 

Paige grinned.

They loaded their purchases into the backseat, leaving the trunk empty.  Tony hopped in the driver’s seat, pulling the car around to the back of the store to the employee lot, and parked.

“What did his nametag say?”  Paige asked as they left their vehicle and approached the assortment of staff cars.

“Harold.”  Tony said, rotting the backdoor lock on the black sedan in front of them. 

Paige crawled into the front seat while Tony kept watch.  There were no cameras to worry about (though if there were any, Tony could rot the wires to dust without issue.)  Paige dug into the glovebox, flipping through the papers in search of identification.  Nope.  She stuffed the papers back and climbed out.

They broke into three more vehicles before finding the right one.  A silver pickup truck.  Tony waited outside while Paige reentered the store.

Harold was right at the front desk, arranging tools behind the counter.

“Ah, excuse me.”  She called, her voice high and sweet. 

“Yes, miss?”

“I was just leaving, when I saw a car back into a silver pickup truck and speed off behind the store…They bashed into it pretty hard.  I didn’t get the plate, but you should let someone know…”

“Wh-what?  A silver pickup you said?!”  He rushed out from behind the counter, jogging outside in a panic.  He didn’t tell any coworkers.  That was good.

Paige gave it a moment.  Then she strolled outside, just as Tony pulled the car up to the front of the store.

He was wearing that smirk of his; it was significantly less infuriating when it wasn’t directed at her.  She daintily climbed into the car, feeling a smirk creep onto her own face. 

“I sent out some texts to his contacts and destroyed his phone.”  Tony informed her as they left the parking lot.

“Did you knock him out or kill him?”

“Knocked out, but I’ll have to make him lucid again if we want to have any fun.  It’s a challenge to keep them unconscious for very long without brain damage.”

“If you use trauma, anyway.  Ahh, we should’ve drugged him.”

“Next time, sweetheart.” He assured her.

The paint supplies were carted upstairs first.  They couldn’t have their roommates getting home while they were transporting everything, or the surprise would be ruined. 

In the basement, Paige unpacked the sander and attached a rough-grit disk to the front of it.  Tony finished tying the glassy-eyed man to a chair, the side of his head visibly caved in and hair matte with blood.  Paige gave the sander a few experimental whirs while Tony reversed the injuries.

“He’s up, dear.”  Tony purred.

Paige sauntered over, power tool dangling lazily from one hand, a silver fountain pen in the other.  The man pulled against his bonds, whipping his head around in confusion before a horrified look of recognition crossed his face.

“ _This_  is what we needed durable paint for.”  She informed him.

They got to work.

 

* * *

 

Robin could hear the faint screaming before he got in the house.  He sighed, knowing the sound was not Tony or Paige.  It was disturbing, just how accustomed he had become to people being murdered in his house.  It had taken a  _lot_  of denial and decidely unhealthy mental tactics, but he was able to cope with it now.  Nothing he could do could save the miserable wretch in the basement, and it was easier to just…tune it out.  The guilt was crushing if he let himself think about it, so he didn’t. 

Instead, he thought about Harry’s upcoming birthday.  He couldn’t afford anything terribly extravagant, but the three of them could certainly get out of the house to a nice restaurant.  He had also gotten him a new scarf, and Manny had somehow scraped together enough money to buy him a box of handmade candy.

Hopefully Paige and Tony didn’t ruin things too much.  In the past, they had been… _nice_  on everyone’s birthday.   Save for Manny’s this year, when something seemed to have gone wrong, resulting in a particularly vicious fight.  Paige messily killed Tony, but Robin would never forget the look on her face after Tony was dead; still  _so angry_  that she attacked them as well, managing to nearly tear his arm off and kill Harry.  Robin had bled out, but Manny was able to hide long enough for Paige to calm down and Tony to revive everyone.

Harry still wasn’t home.  He let Robin know he’d volunteered to cover shifts for his coworkers; it was his way of avoiding any unwanted attention, and Robin understood. 

Robin just hoped the yelling stopped before Manny got home.

* * *

 

Tony sighed.  He was usually the one who had to clean up after they had friends over.  He supposed it was better than insisting Paige do it; she’d do a terrible job, if she even made an attempt.  Her best method of body disposal, lye, was effective but slow; he could rot a human to powder in less than a minute. 

Though…she was typically too lazy to soak a body in lye.  She would just bury it in the woods and hope for the best.   

In all, he supposed it was best that he deal with it, though that didn’t stop him from resenting Paige’s incompetence. 

She was, allegedly, starting on the attic.  Muffled scraping noises were drifting through the house from up there, so hopefully she  _was_  being useful.  Overall, Tony felt uneasy about this plan of hers.  It was her turn, and her façade of friendly enthusiasm was…less than reassuring.  She displayed that same enthusiasm when she was driving nails into his hands.

That reminded him; he should get a nailgun.  He wiped the blood off his new drill; he couldn’t wait to try it out on Paige.  It had passed its test run with flying colors, and he wondered how many holes he could drill in Paige’s sternum before it killed her.

Once the basement was back in order, he joined Paige upstairs.  Plastic covered the floor, and she had surprisingly done a decent job of dusting the cobwebs away; it even smelled significantly less musty than they last time he was up here.  She was on the floor, lining an outlet with painter’s tape, and turned to him. 

Paige raised her eyebrows.  “You should change into something you don’t mind getting paint on, love.  I don’t want to hear you crying about getting  _red_ all over your coat.” 

She was right…but he narrowed his eyes at her, not appreciating the implications in her words. 

  Tony left, trudging downstairs to his room, pulling off his overcoat along the way.  He opened a drawer and hesitated, staring down at his crisply folded shirts.  Keeping old or worn-out clothing wasn’t something he tended to do, and all of the space in his dresser was taken up by clothing he  _used_.  He didn’t particularly  _want_  to get paint on anything in here. 

He chose a shirt he wore slightly less than the others, hoping he managed to keep the paint off it entirely.  Paige would likely make that difficult, the childish creature…

When he got back to the attic, Paige was already rolling primer on a wall. 

She looked at him and gave a laugh.  “Is that really all you have?  Well don’t complain to me when you ‘ruuuin your shirt’” Her impression of him wasn’t terribly flattering.

He rolled up his sleeves and grabbed a paint roller.  “I can’t believe you roped me into this.”  He grumbled.  “Every minute you’re forcing me to waste, you’re going to spend dead, you know.” 

“Mm-hm.”  She hummed.  “ _I_  can’t believe you brought your sword.  You look  _ridiculous_.”

“You can’t truly think I’m that stupid.” 

“You’d be surprised.”

Somehow, neither of them died while they covered the walls with primer.  Paige insisted they stop once she heard their roommate arrive home.  Tony complied, not because he thought anyone would be brave enough to come up to the attic and ‘spoil’ it, but because he wanted to get something _worthwhile_  done today.

The next day, Paige cut his work short again.  She pushed the door open at 12:17, and he rubbed at his temples almost involuntarily.

“Tony.”  She whined, approaching him.

“What now?”

“The paint’s not dry enough.”

“Of course it isn’t, the bucket said it’d take 24 hours before the topcoat could be added.”

“ _Speed it up_.”

“I’m not a fucking  _dog_ , Paige.  I’m not here to preform tricks on command for you.”  He snapped.

“Mm.  Guess I’ll just have to wait here until it’s dry then.”

Tony stood and headed upstairs.

The room was dry in 4 minutes 21 seconds, and she let him leave as she began marking off a tape pattern on a wall. 

Tony wandered back upstairs in an hour, wondering if she had managed to ruin it yet. 

Paige had finished detailing the large diamond pattern she had laid out on one wall, and was mostly done with another, plain side.  She was on her toes, barely reaching the top of the wall with the roller, apparently too stubborn or too careless to use a chair.  She didn‘t even seem to notice the white, unpainted spaces by the ceiling.

He sighed and picked up a brush, beginning to reach up and cover the high spots she missed. 

“I knew you wouldn’t be able to do this right.” 

“I appreciate your help” She chirped.

They pulled the tape off the next day, revealing the pleasing fine edges it created.  He accompanied Paige to pick out an area rug; the floor needed cleaning, but even that wouldn’t restore it from years of neglect. 

Wednesday, the two of them were scrubbing the floors and the furniture that had been collecting dust while stored up there.  It was an odd sight, Paige _cleaning_  something, rather than purposely destroying it.  She was strangely pleasant today, barely even sniping at him; maybe she was genuinely enamored by the process of decorating. 

He was still…jumpy.  Tony continued to keep his sword with him, and remained vigilant, listening closely to every step she took.  Any time she was remotely near, his hands were close to the hilt, ready to slash her head from her shoulders.

Her lack of aggression was almost disappointing.  She stood, tossing her sponge into the bucket of cleaning solution. 

“It’s way too hot up here.  I’ll go get us drinks.”

“How kind of you, dear.”  _Lazy_.  She was probably just bored of actually being productive for a change.  At any rate, he wasn’t about to drink anything she brought him.

Paige left the room, shutting the door. 

He had to admit it was rather stuffy up here.  He pulled at his collar loosening his shirt a bit.  That ungrateful fool would probably be complaining about his gift tomorrow.  Tony was feeling slightly lightheaded.  The abundance of paint fumes and cleaning supplies combined with the heat, most likely.  And Paige had so carelessly shut the door.

Tony started for the small window to let some air in when something caught his eye.  Was that… _smoke_?  His heart jumped for a split second, before he realized he couldn’t smell the fire.  What, then-?

The bucket Paige had been using.

Thin wisps of white vapor were crawling out of it.

Tony rushed to the window to find a line of nails had been driven into the wood, sealing it closed.  He, pulled his shirt over his mouth and nose, and began punching the glass.  Tony tried to hold his breath, but his lungs began crying out far too soon, and a fit of coughing overtook him, losing precious seconds.  His muscles were already weakening, and the round window was tucked up near the ceiling, forcing him to punch at an awkward angle.  It took three attempts to bash through; two too many, and the rewarding shatter was accompanied by blood running down his arm.

His head couldn’t quite reach the tiny pocket of fresh air, and his eyes were starting to burn.  Tony grabbed a chair, nearly throwing it against the wall.  When he stepped up on it, clutching onto the windowsill and inhaling once before sickening dizziness crashed into him, sending him spiraling to the floor.

Tony staggered to his hands and knees, trying to keep his head above the ground.  ( _Were the fumes staying low?  Were they rising?  He couldn’t tell._ )  He gagged from nausea, dry heaving.  He could his heart beat irregularly, slow and deafening. 

Clawing at the wall for support, Tony managed to stand.   _He couldn’t see_.  His eyes were tearing up from the searing burns, turning the room into a spinning red blur.  Where was the door?  How was he going to get down the  _stairs_?  Desperate coughing tore through him again, quickly turning into more retching.

His throat was on fire.  Every inhale scalded tissue further, but he couldn’t even try to hold his breath anymore.  He wasn’t going to get out.  He knew it. 

Tony was on the floor again.  He didn’t even realize he had slid down the wall, but he wouldn’t have been able to stop it, he supposed.  Tony lied on the brand new rug, muscles twitching.  He thought about just what he was going to do with Paige when he got his hands on her.

 

* * *

 

Harry sat at the dining table with his friends, all three of them frowning at the beautifully decorated cake in front of them.  Paige had even forced them to sing; Tony was mercifully absent for that.  She was currently plucking candles out of the icing, and Harry was trying to brace himself for whatever she had in store.

He flinched when she cut into the cake.  He was relieved that it didn’t immediately start bleeding or screaming, but he couldn’t count either of those things out just yet. 

Paige served them each thick slices of cake, claiming the red filling inside was strawberries.  Harry squinted, trying to spot some poison berry among the familiar fruit.  There were none to be seen, but that didn’t mean they weren’t in the cake. 

Not that any objection or identification would keep him from being poisoned, he just wanted to have a rough idea of what he was in for. 

“Go ahead!”  Paige encouraged.  They hesitated.  Paige’s patience visibly began running thin.

Harry took a deep breath, and tried the cake. 

It…was good.  Paige’s gaze shifted to Manny and Robin, who followed his example.  No one was vomiting yet, which was a promising sign. 

A loud slamming noise from upstairs made everyone look up from the dessert.  The stomping moved through the house, getting closer.

A furious, coatless Tony appeared in the doorway.  He must’ve been dead, rather than hiding somewhere in the house, waiting to ‘surprise’ them like Harry expected. 

“You’re  _late_.”  Paige stated with a grin.


	3. Music

Tony was banging on her door.  He was yelling, too, but she couldn’t really hear what he was saying; she had a pretty good idea, though. 

            Paige leaned over and turned her music up, nearly drowning him out entirely.  He shouting increased in volume as well, and Paige was able to make out the words ‘choke’ and ‘snap’. 

            The volume wasn’t at max quite yet, but she didn’t turn it up any more.  Paige liked being able to just barely hear the furious threats Tony was snarling on the other side of the door.  To be honest, if he didn’t react like this, she’d have no reason to play her music so loudly.  Their roommates didn’t make a fuss about it; either through use of earplugs or ignoring it.  Tony, however, was  _so_  wonderfully easy to aggravate. 

            Not only did he despise the decibel level, but he had made it clear several times over that he couldn’t  _stand_  the kind of music Paige enjoyed.  Truthfully she loved just about every kind of music, including the classical pieces he sometimes listened to…but why play that when she could antagonize him instead?  Paige could create to any kind of background music, so she might as well be entertained as well.

            “You’ll have to speak up dear, you’re so quiet I can barely hear you!”  She called.

            He kicked the door, causing it to shudder; it was a wonder it hadn’t cracked on the impact. 

            Something in her told her to stop.  It was his turn, and this could easily push him into  _hostility_ , and she was more in the mood to paint than to fight.

            She of course ignored that notion.  Even if listening to Tony get progressively more infuriated  _wasn’t_  hilarious, she couldn’t turn it down now; he’d take it as her  _obeying_  him, which was entirely unacceptable.  So she sat back and let the music inspire her brushstrokes. 

            The bashing at her door and angry yelling eventually stopped.  The volume level stayed right where it was; she had a point to prove, and would turn it off when she was done.  She did keep an eye on the door; he might try to pick the lock, and she’d never be able to hear the little clicks of metal against metal over the song.

            She dabbed more blue on her brush. 

The lights went out and the music cut off.

            Oh he was  _so_   _lucky_  the paint hadn’t touched the canvas just yet.  Paige stood, grabbing a nearby knife and storming out of her room.  He wouldn’t have broken any power lines, he had too much sense for that.  No, he only switched off the breaker in the basement.  Even without giving it time to adjust, her night vision was much better than his; he’d trip noisily over the nearest obstacle when he tried to ambush her. 

            Paige crept through the house, blade at the ready, her eyes already beginning to get accustomed to the darkness.  She listened carefully for any errant rustle of clothing, a foot landing on a stair or sinking into the soft carpet, a door gliding open.  He wasn’t going to surprise her.

            And he… _didn’t_  surprise her.  She made it to the basement on high alert, but he was nowhere to be found; not a thing was out of place through the house.  She flipped the thick metal switch back up, the electricity in the house returning with a faint buzz.  No sword swung towards her head as she blinked the light from her eyes.  The music resumed from upstairs.

            Paige hissed a series of curses when she heard the music blare.  The acquisition of light had robbed her of the silence.  She’d have a hard time hearing him move now; Paige gripped the knife harder, eyes darting around, trying to see everything at once.  Just make it back upstairs, lock the door, and continue annoying Tony where he couldn’t stage an ambush.

            She felt like she was holding her breath the whole way back to her room.  Maybe she was.  She hated not being able to rely on her hearing; this was Tony’s fault, childishly shutting the power off.  She expected him to leap out of every dark corner, and kept whipping her head around to check behind her.

             _Where the hell is he?_   She thought, ascending the stairs.  He didn’t shut the power off just for a momentary respite from the music.  He did it to lure her out of her room and attack her.  So  _where was he_? 

            Her unease reached a peak as her room came into view.  Tony’s door was closed; he couldn’t possibly just be pouting in there, could he?  If so, how did he get back in his room without passing by her?  Paige didn’t like this.

            The music got louder when the door was pushed open, her apprehension rising with it.  There was no evidence that he had been in here, either.  She darted inside, and kicked the door closed.

             _It didn’t slam_ -

            The hand was over her mouth before she could turn to face him, cutting off her infuriated yell and wrenching her head back to expose her throat.  She jabbed her blade behind her, hoping to sink it into his stomach; she saw his hand flash up to her neck as she did, that thin black knife darting under her chin and out of her vision.

            Tony shoved her away, jerking back before her knife could make contact and before he could cut her throat.  She turned to face him-

            Her next inhale caught short, and she felt heat flow down her neck.  Her hand flew up, touching the little puncture wound in the middle of her throat, made so quickly she hadn’t even felt the blade slip into her skin.  She tried to yell, the only sound coming out being a wet, choking cough as blood flooded into her trachea.  Paige fell to her knees, trying to seal her hand over the wound so she could breathe again.

            Tony said something.  She couldn’t make it out over the deafening notes coming from the speakers.

            He crossed the room, and shut off her stereo; her ears were ringing at the sudden loss of sound. 

            “There now, that’s much better.  How on earth was I supposed to hear you trying to breathe through your own blood with all of that racket?” 

Paige stared at the floor, blood dripping between her fingers to pool on the floorboards.  Air came in short, broken gasps as her breath leaked out through the hole in her throat.  His steps approached her.  He stood in front of her and she felt his fingers under her chin, tilting her head up. 

            She glared into his eyes, mouthing a ‘ _go fuck yourself’._

“Mm.  You’ll have to speak up  _dear._ ”  He purred, that vile smirk creeping across his face. “You’re so quiet I can barely hear you.” 

            He dropped to one knee and leaned in, pressing his lips to hers.  Too angry to cooperate, Paige twisted out of his grip and spat a mouthful of blood into his face.  Tony recoiled, snarling and clawing at the burn in his eyes.

            Dizzy from lack of air, Paige slammed the knife into him, the blade sinking deep into his abdomen and pulling a lovely scream from his mouth.  Her reaction time was slow, too slow, and Tony latched onto her wrist before she could pull the knife out and stab him again; he gave a vicious twist.  Paige released the knife as she felt something in her arm snap, her own scream silenced by her sliced larynx.  Blood was flooding into her lungs and she desperately tried to wrench her arm from his grip.   _He shouldn’t be able to hold on this tight with a knife jutting from his stomach._

            Tony pulled her closer, his own small knife back in his other hand.  Her broken wrist felt like it was being crushed, and every yank from her came with a revolting, agonizing scrape as those little bones inside clattered together.  Tony gave a slight cough, and a thin line of red slipped from the corner of his mouth. 

            The knife sliced into one side of her neck and flew across it, leaving a cold gash in its wake.  The blade skipped across her hand where she had it pressed to her throat, cutting her fingers to the bone.  Tony threw her back and she hit the floor hard, head cracking against the wood.  Hot blood rushed out over her neck and chest, choking her airway and forcing her into shock.  

            Her vision blurred in and out of focus as she stared up at Tony; blood dripped steadily from his midsection to pool with hers on the floor.  It ran down the handle of the knife in pulsing little rivulets, and darkened his coat further.

            He grabbed onto her bedpost unsteadily, leaning back and breathing heavily.  She could barely keep her eyes focused now.  She internally begged for him to die now, or at least give a  _sign_  that he was dying.  He shouldn’t get away with just healing up.

            He gingerly gripped the handle, shaking hands stained bright with her blood. 

             _Yes yes_   _yes._ She thought, her body going limp and a chill creeping through her.   _Pull it out and_   _open up all those blood vessels it’s keeping closed_.

            He pulled, giving a sharp, pained groan though his teeth as the knife tore out of his body, but the flood of red Paige expected didn’t follow.   

            Her eyes narrowed in angry disgust; it must’ve been at just the right spot to miss anything vital.  He grinned down at her, panting slightly in pain but certainly not dying.   _Bastard_.

            She was cold and dizzy and numb.  And angry.  Her eyelids drifted down and silence overtook her.


	4. Sleeping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOP THIS ONE ACTUALLY HAS TWO EXTENDED ENDINGS B/C I COULDNT DECIDE IF I LIKED THE ENDING HOW IT IS HERE OR IF I WANTED THE OTHER TWO OPTIONS I CAME UP WITH ON A WHIM
> 
> A BUNCH OF PEOPLE SAID THEY LIKED HOW IT ENDED LIKE THIS SO
> 
> CHECK MY TUMBLR IF YOU WANT TO BE DISAPPOINTED I GUESS??

The time didn’t surprise him, it never did.  He was acutely aware of just how late it had gotten; much later than he would’ve liked to stay up.  He set the time on the now-functioning pocketwatch; 2:42 AM.  He had been determined to get it working before going to bed, but hadn’t anticipated the sheer extent of the damage.  Perhaps it would’ve been wiser to scrap it for parts, but once he had put so much time into fixing it, he couldn’t let that past effort go to waste.

            His eyes burned slightly from staring at such miniscule clockwork for hours, and he yawned.  Paige had gone to bed one hour and seventeen minutes ago, or at least he assumed so; she had no other reason to be this quiet out of turn.

            Tony cleaned up his workspace and put his tools away in their proper places.  He flicked the light off as he walked out, looking forward to going to bed. 

            He frowned as he moved through the house; Paige had left every light on.  Typical.  A very vocal part of him did not want to clean up after Paige in any way; but he’d never be able to sleep knowing how much electricity was being  _wasted_. 

            After a 46 second detour, he headed upstairs.  Tony pulled the key to his room out of his pocket and unlocked his door, already shrugging off his coat as he reached out and illuminated the room.

            He had one arm out of his sleeve when he stopped and scowled.

             _All of his blankets were gone._

            “ _Paige_.”  He hissed.  Who else could it have been?

            He stormed out of his room, sword at his hip.  A low snore resonated from Paige’s room as he rattled the doorknob.

            A bobbypin was already in his hand, picking at the lock.  Paige didn’t deserve the courtesy of knocking; she certainly hadn’t shown  _his_  privacy any respect.  The lock clicked open in a matter of seconds, and he didn’t hesitate to stride into her room.

            He could see her softly breathing shape in her bed.  She didn’t react when the lights came on.

            Tony was furious; there she was, wrapped up in his dark blankets and sheets, face buried in the fabric.  A bundle of cloth at his feet caught his eye;  _her_  blankets, blue and purple paint smeared all over them and beginning to dry on the floor. 

            She had better  _pray_  nothing had gotten on his bedding. 

            “ _Paige_.”  He snapped. 

            Paige snored.

            “Wake  _up_.”  He took hold of her shoulder and gave it a hard shake.

            Paige mumbled and rolled over, curling up. 

            “Paige!”  He shouted.  If he stabbed her now there’d be blood all over his blankets, as well as a hole in them.

            “Nnh, what?”  Came her muffled, barely-awake response. 

            “What do you mean ‘ _what’_?    Those are  _my_  blankets, Paige.” 

            “Mm, yeah…mine got paint on them…”  She turned her head to look at him, hair sticking up everywhere and blinking in the light.

            “Give them  _back_.”  He ordered.

            “No.”  She nuzzled her face back into his comforter, apparently trying to go back to sleep.

            He exhaled harshly. “It’s too goddamn late for this.”

            “It  _is_ , so leave.”

            “You’re  _going_  to give those back.”

            No response.            

            Tony gripped the edge of the blanket.  If she was going to be childish enough to ignore him, he was just going to  _take_  them.

            He gave the blanket a hard yank, expecting to pull them right off her.  Instead, Paige held on to it, keeping it wrapped around her.  She made a whining, sleepy sound.

            “ _Let go of it_.” He snarled.

            “Just get more from the hall closet.”

            “ _You_  get more from the hall closet, you’re the one that ruined their bedding.”  He pulled harder, dragging her across her bed a bit.

            “Nnnno.”

            Tony jerked viciously on the blanket, intending to wrench out of her grip; instead Paige clung tightly, tumbling off the bed in a heap and tangling herself in the comforter further.

            “ _Tonyyyy_.”  Her voice was like nails on a chalkboard.

            He stared down at her, cuddled in his blanket in the floor.  Maybe a hard kick would convince her to let go…

            No, he didn’t want to start a fight just now.  Rather, he didn’t want to waste his turn on something so impulsive and unplanned. 

            He turned around, edge of the blanket still in his hands, and dragged it, expecting the weight to abruptly lessen at any moment.  Paige stubbornly refused to let go, letting herself be pulled down the hallway with the blanket.  Annoyingly, she hadn’t fallen off by the time he turned into his room.

            Tony let go.  Paige was huddled in the middle of his floor and tangled up in his bedding, locks of multicolored hair peeking out of the folds of cloth.

            “Go back to your room, Paige.”         

            The obscured lump that was Paige gave a mumble of disagreement and shifted around, curling into a tighter ball. 

            Tony scowled.  He couldn’t let her win, but he was struggling to come up with any solution that didn’t involve killing her…or at  _least_  making her bleed a substantial amount. 

            He picked the bundle up and shook it.  A whining noise emanated from inside, but she didn’t fall out. 

            “If you’re so tired then let go, damn it!”  He yelled.

            The bundle dropped to the floor with a thump, accompanied by a frustrated sigh from Tony and yelp from Paige. 

             _Fine_.

            Tony threw everything onto his bed.  Paige seemed to go right back to sleep as he got ready for bed, her breathing slowing down and relaxing.  If only he could untangle her without waking her up…

            He climbed into his bed over her, feeling her wake up and retighten her grip on the blankets.  Tony gathered up enough blankets to cover himself, turned over, and shoved her off the bed.

            An indignant shriek made him grin.  There was enough slack in the comforter to let her hit the floor without taking everything with her.   

            “ _Rude_.”  He heard from somewhere below him.

            Tony rolled over and closed his eyes, the tension on the blanket a bit uncomfortable but he could deal with it.  The clocks in the room ticked thirty-six times.

            “Tonyyyy.”

            Her voice was enough to give him a headache.

            “You wanted the blankets, you have them.  Go to sleep or leave.”

            There was a slight tug.  “Let me up.”

            “No.” 

            Paige gave a hard yank on the blankets, and Tony was nearly torn out of bed, saved only by a last-minute grab on the edge of the mattress.

            “Do you have to be so  _fucking childish_?”  He snarled down to her, her face now visible.

            “Do  _you_  have to be so fucking selfish?”  She snapped back.

            “Yes.”

            A threatening pull at the cloth.  Silence as the stared each other down. 

            She wasn’t going to let him sleep.  It was 3:04.

            “Fine.  Come up.  Don’t bother me.” 

            He shifted over as Paige climbed into his bed, bringing the blankets with her.  Her limbs were still mostly wrapped up in the sheets, and she made no effort to untangle herself, simply nestling into the space he allowed her and closing her eyes. 

            Tony reached over her and shut off his lamp.  He turned his back on her and listened to the clocks mark out the seconds, as well as Paige’s soft, unwelcome breathing. 

            By 3:12, Paige was definitely out.  Tony glanced over his shoulder at her.  Her hair fell over her face, eyes flickering around under their lids, fingers twitching occasionally.  Paige gave an unconscious murmur and turned, nuzzling her face into his pillow and rolling closer to him as a result.  Under no circumstances could Paige be called  _cute_ , but she…came close at times.

            He turned away, angry at Paige and angry at himself.  The vile creature taking up space in his bed was not  _cute_.  She was doing this to irritate him, and it was working.

            Tony moved further away from her and closed his aching eyes.  Maybe he’d kill her tomorrow.  Maybe he’d wake her up with a sword through her chest…

 

* * *

 

            Tony woke up at 6, permitting himself an extra half-hour to allow for a little more rest.  His memory flooded back to him, and he tensed when he became aware of his position.

            His arms were wrapped around a sleeping Paige, his face buried in her hair.  Tony grit his teeth and untangled himself from her, carefully.  He didn’t especially want to wake her up; Paige was…difficult in the early hours of the morning.  Thankfully she didn’t stir as her climbed over her.

            Tony silently got dressed, affixing his sword to his belt.  His hand lingered at the hilt.  He looked at Paige.


	5. Fairytales

The back door flew open, slamming against the side of the house and bouncing back.  Manny bolted outside, gasping more in fear than in exhaustion, feet pounding against the ground as he raced away. 

The familiar line of trees rushed towards him; he’d have to find a trail, running through brambles and hidden rocks was sure to get him caught.

“Manny, dear!”  He heard behind him, prompting him to run faster.  “Come back, won’t you?”  Her voice wasn’t getting closer, but he was too scared to look back. 

He knew Paige was faster than him, and could navigate the woods better than him, but that wasn’t at the forefront of his mind.   _Getting away_  was at the forefront of his mind.

He had been out of sight when Paige and Tony made their move, and when he heard the startled yell from his two friends, he hid.  Not in his room, though, he climbed into the hall closet, tucking himself behind shelves of blankets. 

Once the commotion downstairs stopped, they had both come up the stairs, calling for him to come out.  Manny held his breath and froze as they passed by.  He heard the door to his room creak open.

They tore the place apart; he’s pretty sure they had flipped his bed over.  Their voices got increasingly agitated, and they stormed upstairs, into Harry’s new room.  

Manny’s heart raced, nudging the door open.  If they were both in the attic, this was his best chance.  If one of them had stayed behind, well…

Neither had stayed behind, and Manny tiptoed downstairs, afraid of what he’d find of his friends. 

He padded as quietly as he could into the kitchen.

“ _Manny_?”  He heard Harry whisper.  Robin looked up.

Both of them were tied to chairs, Robin already bleeding from a cut over his forehead.  An empty chair sat between them.

Manny rushed over and started trying to undo the complicated knot in the rope keeping Robin tied to the chair.  Robin would be able to undo the knot on Harry’s chair faster once he was untied.

“Manny, no, just  _run_.”  Harry said, voice barely audible.

“N-no you guys have to get out, too. “

“They’re going to come back, just  _go_.” 

“Out the back door.”  Robin agreed.

“But-“

Muffled voices from upstairs.  Footsteps towards the stairs.

“ _Go_ ”

Manny ran.

He was still running now; the path was barely there; it was more of a deer trail, to be honest.  His eyes flickered between directly in front of him and the ground, but never looking back.  He shouldn’t have run.  He left his friends behind.  Harry wouldn’t have run; Harry would’ve stayed and helped, even if it was just to suffer with everyone. 

The further he got the darker the forest became, the thick leaves above blotting out nearly all the sunlight, making things more treacherous than before.  Thornbushes pulled at his clothes, and invisible spiderwebs had caught him on the face twice, now.

   His lungs were burning, and his legs were aching.  He couldn’t hear anything behind him, and he chanced a quick glace over his shoulder; nothing.

Manny slowed to a stop, gasping for air.  He ducked behind a large tree, just in case. 

Staring around at the trees sprawling out in all directions, he remembered things, distantly.  Urban legends, ghost stories, fairy tales.  From back when his life was normal, back when getting lost in the woods was the biggest hazard he could face.  That felt like an eternity ago.  But now he could almost remember, stories of wolves and creatures, portals to other worlds and witches, all waiting to catch anyone who strayed too far off the path.  Myths to keep him safe.

Wolves didn’t seem so scary anymore. 

Manny looked around at the branching path.   He was lost.

 

* * *

 

Harry wished he could cover his ears.  He didn’t want to hear Manny being caught and dragged back here.  Tony was checking the knots with a scowl; he pulled both Harry’s and Robin’s tighter, the rough rope digging into his skin. 

Paige was out of sight, having bolted after Manny the moment she heard him running.  He got out of the house, it sounded like, but did she catch up to him?

Tony gave the two of them a glare, and turned his head towards the kitchen.

“Paige darling,” he called.  “That one won’t get far alone.  Let’s take care of these two first.”

            Her footsteps approached.  “Why, afraid  _they’ll_  get away too?  Can’t you tie a knot?”

            The look on his face made Harry worry that a fight was about to start.  “No, it’d just be more  _efficient_  to take care of them while we’re here.  Chances are, he’ll come back on his own; we’ll be able to give him a private lesson.” 

            Harry’s heart twisted; Manny being tortured alone, without anyone to even look to for any kind of support…and Harry was the one who told him to leave.  Of course,  _not_  telling him to run would’ve brought the same guilt, but that didn’t make Harry feel better.

            Paige appeared in the doorway.  “You’ve made a lot of extra work for us, you know.”  She put her hands on her hips, shifting her weight to one foot with a huff.  “I’m beginning not to trust you two.”

            “Don’t you want him to  _learn_  anything?”  Tony asked.  “I think we need to change our lesson plan, dear.”

            “I think you’re right!”  Paige walked closer, every step making Harry’s blood run colder.  “I think they need to be taught not to  _lie_.”

            From the corner of his eye, he saw Tony grin.

 

* * *

 

            Manny felt like he was going in circles.  Had he seen that rock before?  That fallen tree looked really familiar.

            It didn’t really matter; going home only meant facing Tony and Paige, if not immediately then eventually.  They weren’t likely to forget about him.  Being lost in the woods was scary, but the alternative was scarier. 

            Maybe…maybe he could find his way out and find someone to help.  Harry had told him not to let anyone know about Tony and Paige, because they’d just get hurt trying to help, but maybe the police could do something…

            But he wouldn’t be able to ask anyone for help if he couldn’t find his way out.  There… _probably_  weren’t any wolves in the woods, but even so, he didn’t want to be out here when it got dark.  He wondered what time it was and suppressed a shudder.  The sun wasn’t setting just yet, but it was on its way down; how long had he been lost?

            Okay, he was  _definitely_  going in circles; he was becoming increasingly familiar with that rock. 

            Manny sat down on the rock, trying to get his bearings.  Even when he tried to go the complete opposite direction of landmarks, he still seemed to end up in the same place.  If only he could mark where he had been…  Manny patted down his pockets; maybe he had something…

            A crinkling noise and a lump alerted him.  A pack of crackers; he had forgotten he had these.  He laughed nervously.  He had just been thinking about fairytales, too.

            Well, it wasn’t like he was going to find a candy house and a witch out here.  Manny set off, tired and thirsty, crumbling the crackers behind him. 

            He didn’t know how long he walked.  The crumbs helped; no birds took them, and he only ran into them once so far.  That had been a while ago, so he was making progress.  

            A crack.  A branch just snapped, too heavy to have been broken by a small animal.  He hadn’t done that.  Manny froze.

            Distant voices.   _Those_ voices.

            Manny threw himself behind a fallen tree, looking desperately around for something better to hide behind.  He grabbed a thick branch, pulling it over him and lying down in a ball, hardly daring to breathe.  The voices got closer. 

            “Come on out, dear!”   _Paige_.  “You must be  _so scared_ , lost in the woods like this.”

             _No, no, no, no_ ;  _they followed the crumbs._  

            “ _Maaaannyyyyyy_ ”  She called. 

             _She was going to be led right to his hiding place_.

            He had to get out; he couldn’t stay here.  He needed to move, now. 

_Now_. 

_Move_.

His legs weren’t responding, no matter how fast his heart raced.  The crunching leaves got closer.

“Your friends  _miss_  you.”  She said;  _she sounded so close_.

Manny threw the branch away, stumbling into a frantic run.   Paige was just to his left, a look of pleased surprise on her face as he raced away, ducking under a low branch.

Something grabbed the back of his shirt so suddenly it yanked him off his feet, and he choked. 

He heard that amused laugh before something slammed into the side of his head, knocking his vision into blinding light and making his ears ring. 

“Almost!”  Tony said, distant and fuzzy. 

He felt himself being dragged along the ground by his collar, unable to understand Tony and Paige’s voices while they chatted.  As his consciousness faded, he found himself wishing it had been wolves.

 

* * *

 

Robin was digging splinters out of his arm when Harry peeked into the open door.

“Brought you some ice.”  He said, tossing the bag onto the sink.  “It looks…better.”

“Thanks.”  Robin abandoned the shards of wood embedded in his skin in favor of holding the pack of ice to the holes along his lips. 

“Manny’s calmed down a bit, I’m gonna take him out for ice cream.  What do you want from the shop?”

He couldn’t exactly go out looking like this, he knew.  “Just a small cup of strawberry.” 

“A strawberry sundae it is then.”  Harry said as he turned to leave.

            Robin smiled and flinched at the pain, holding the ice bag gently to his mouth.  Harry would’ve done that even if he  _didn’t_  feel bad about what happened to him.

            Miserable as he was, Robin was glad he was the one who didn’t get healed before the fighting broke out.  Harry had gotten his eyes gouged out, and Manny was outright killed with a sword through his ear and out the side of his head.  Robin only had his lips sewn shut, though he suspected they had planned on taking it further. 

            Once they brought Manny back to the house and killed him, Tony had set to work healing everyone. He had just finished with Harry when Paige had made some snide comment.  In truth, Robin didn’t even hear what she had said; either way, it didn’t much matter.  Tony was going to be dead for the next few hours.  Paige had bled out too, but she just needed to be avoided when she woke up.  Tony would have to be confronted and begged to use his powers  _constructively_ ; unless Robin wanted to live with his new lip piercings.  He didn’t, as it turned out. 

            Until then however, all he could do was alternate between tweezing chair shards out of himself and trying to numb his face with ice. 

And eat ice cream, he supposed.

 


	6. Camping

Simply packing for the trip was difficult.  Doing it all at once would tip off Tony and Paige, but moving too slow would increase the chances of a bag full of clothes or supplies being stumbled upon.  Whenever they weren’t looking, Harry would carry a bag out to the car and tuck it into the trunk while Robin played lookout.  It took two days to get everything stowed away; they’d stop for food once they were safely on their way. 

The plan was, tell Tony and Paige they were going out to shop for food, and take off.  Sure, they’d catch on after a few hours, and would probably get angry over the next few days, but it was better than the alternative. 

If Paige or Tony found out the three of them were going camping, they’d stop them…or worse;  _join them_. 

“Come on Manny, you can pick out something you like at the grocery store.”  Harry called loudly up the stairs. 

Robin was already outside, in the car and waiting.  Manny came downstairs, and Harry followed him, mentally going through the list of necessary supplies.  Manny stopped cold the moment he opened the door, looking out at the driveway in horror.

“Hey, what’s wrong?  Hurry and get in-“ Harry followed Manny’s worried gaze to the car.

_Oh._

Paige was digging through the open trunk, while Tony leaned against the passenger side door.  Robin was inside, sitting straight up in the seat and refusing to take his eyes off Tony.

Paige stood and turned, tilting her head with a wicked smile pulling at her mouth. 

“Were you going on  _camping_?  Without  _us_?”

“We uh-“

“Rude to leave us out, don’t you think?”  Tony muttered, giving Robin a dangerous glance through the window.

“We-we just didn’t think you’d…we figured you’d be busy wi-“

“Dear, we’re never too busy to spend time with you three!”  Paige chirped, moving to sit on the edge of the bumper.

Harry’s mind raced.  They spent so long planning this trip, keeping it secret, packing up tents and sleeping bags and…

What could he do?  Cancel?  All three of them had been looking forward to it, and there’s no way they’d be able to try it again anytime soon, now that Tony and Paige found them out.  Not to mention the slim chances of both he and Robin getting the same days off again.  He could…

“We…have room in the car…”  Harry flinched at the words. 

“Oh we’d  _love_  to join you!”  Paige cheered, clasping her hands together. 

The look on Tony’s face did  _not_  say that he’d ‘love to join them’. 

Harry sighed.  They’d have to stop and buy another tent; he had no intention of sharing an enclosed space overnight with these monsters.  Sleeping bags too, since Tony and Paige would surely steal his or Robin’s if they had none.  Plus extra food, even though he suspected neither of them even _needed_  to eat. 

Tony yanked open the car door. 

“Get out.  I’m sitting there.”  He ordered to Robin.

“Hey!  I wanted shotgun!”  Paige yelled, storming around the car. 

Harry prayed for a fight to break out now; maybe they’d kill each other and they could go on a camping trip in peace.  Robin scurried out, darting over to stand by Harry and Manny.

The two stood close, silently staring each other down.  Tony leaned over, one hand on the edge of the open car door, while Paige was nearly on her tip toes.  Her jaw tensed.

Paige huffed and whipped away.  “ _Fine_.  If someone  _happens_  to hit the car you’ll be the one to fly through the windshield.”  She stomped around to the other side, getting in the back seat.  The door slammed, and Paige pouted out the window. 

Tony gave a chuckle, and got in as well.

Well this was going to be an enjoyable car ride.          

“Let’s just…try and have a good time.”  Harry said, staring at their predicament.

He thought it was strange that Tony and Paige weren’t bringing anything until he got near the trunk, about to close it; two unfamiliar bags were stuffed in with their backpacks.  How long had they known…?

Harry shook his head, took a breath, and got in the car.  He gave an apologetic look to Manny from the rearview mirror; he had to sit in the middle, beside Paige, and was nearly leaning on Robin in an effort to put distance between them.

Keeping his eyes forward, Harry pulled out of the driveway. 

The drive was tense but uneventful.  Tony was outwardly calm, but a definite sense of irritation radiated from him, while Paige had somehow contorted herself around to rest her shoes against the back of Harry’s headrest.  Both stared out the window, at least for the short trip to the camping store. 

“What are we doing here?”  Tony snapped as the car turned into the parking lot.

“The tent we have is too small.”

“So you three can sleep  _outside_.”  Tony snarled as Paige happily climbed out of the car. 

The three of them followed Paige; these two were generally calm in public, and Tony wouldn’t cause a scene here, would he?  Tony muttered some curses under his breath, but cooperated.

Paige rushed off ahead, enticed by a glittering display of hunting knives.  Tony followed her, leaving the three standing miserably by the entrance. 

“This trip is going to be terrible…”  Robin muttered. 

“Maybe they’ll kill each other early on…Hell, maybe they’ll even  _enjoy_  it.” 

Robin looked at Harry, mouth pressed into a thin line, eyes tired.

Harry sighed and nodded.  He started off to find the two nightmares in the store.

Tony and Paige looked out of place, white dress and formal coat standing out among the other cameo-print and hiking-gear clad patrons.  It could almost be comical, if they weren‘t so terrifying.

Eventually everyone managed to get out of the store intact, not counting the hit to Harry’s wallet.  The extra gear didn’t quite fit in the trunk, and Manny and Robin ended up having to hold a few bags.  After another quick stop at the store to fill the cooler, they were on their way.

Miraculously, Paige fell asleep during the drive; without anyone to antagonize him, Tony more or less remained calm, giving the occasional grumblings of ‘I have work I could be doing’ and ‘This is a waste of time’, all of which went unanswered by the other three in the vehicle.  Paige’s loud snoring was a small price to pay for not being veered into oncoming traffic by a fight.

Harry’s knuckles were still white the entire drive, clutching desperately to the steering wheel and catching himself holding his breath innumerable times.  Still tense, he parked at the campground and popped the trunk.  It was a short hike to the spot; secluded but not so deep in the woods that they were beyond help if something went awry (which was likely). 

Without a word, Tony got out and walked around the car to Paige’s door.  She was still unconscious, face pressed against the window.  Tony yanked the door open, causing Paige to spill out onto the ground gracelessly, letting startled yelp.

“You really should wear a seatbelt, dear.”  Tony purred, grinning.

Still in the car, Harry froze, waiting for it.  Nothing. 

Paige got up, dusting herself off.  She didn’t lash out, but the look in her eyes was terrifying, even from here. 

Tony seemed almost disappointed when she turned to walk into the woods, quickly disappearing into the trees and underbrush.  He crossed his arms, looking after her and scowling. 

Considering it moderately safe, the rest of them climbed out of the car and began grabbing the bags.  The site was a scenic one, right by the lake, and they knew the way.

It took two trips, with the extra bags and Tony’s complete refusal to carry anything.  Similarly at the campsite, Tony did nothing to help with the tents, but certainly had plenty of criticism as Harry and Robin set them up.

Paige wandered back into the clearing, and Tony abandoned his ‘coaching’ in favor of her.  Manny off at the water’s edge, probably looking under rocks for small animals. 

“Look, let’s just make the best of it.”

“What are the chances none of us are going to die this weekend?”

“…Slim to none.”

Robin sighed.  “Whose turn is it?”  He asked, threading a tent pole through loops of canvas.

Harry paused, brow furrowed.  “I…can’t remember.”  Who had started the last fight?  That’s how they decided, right?  “Tony, maybe?  Paige has been standing down from a  _lot_  today.”

Robin agreed, and they went back to putting the tent together.  Knowing who was on the offensive was important; being near the wrong monster could get them caught in an attack.  But…Tony seemed miserable.  Would he lash out at whatever he could get his hands on? 

They stood back, admiring the finally-completed structure.  The campfire separated the two tents, and Harry turned to get it started-

Tony was right behind him, and shoved a fishing pole into his hands.

“Catch something.”

“W-what?” 

“I’m not going to repeat myself.  Neither Paige nor myself have any intention of eating any of that canned trash you brought.”

And with that, Tony left.  He rejoined Paige and disappeared along the path once again. 

He looked down at the fishing pole in his hands.  Did…did they steal this from another campsite?  Harry had only been fishing once in his life, years ago; it was fine until he actually had to  _kill_  the fish, which had turned him off from the whole experience.  He remembered enough to know that late afternoon was not the best time to catch fish, particularly when he had no bait.

“I’ll get the fire going.  Good…luck I suppose.”  Robin said.

“Thanks.”  He’d need it. 

Harry actually managed to dig up some worms in the soft ground near the lake, and trudged off to try and find a spot that looked promising.

The sun was on its way down before he caught anything.  Harry took a breath, apologized, and dispatched the poor fish as quickly as he could.  He reluctantly gutted it by the lake, trying not to look; he wasn’t terribly hungry, now.

Harry returned to camp with the fish, to find Manny and Robin sitting by a nicely roaring fire. 

“Hey!  Want a marshmallow?”  Manny asked. 

“Sure.”  Harry stowed the fish in the cooler and unfolded a canvas chair, setting it beside his friends.  “Where are they?”  He asked Robin while Manny handed him a sharpened stick with a marshmallow on the end.

“They came back a while ago with ‘firewood’ that turned out to be full of poison ivy vines.  I’m not sure if Tony knew it, but Paige certainly did.  Don’t know where they ran off to since then, though.”

“No complaints there.”  Harry said, pulling the marshmallow from the fire and prodding at it.  Not quite yet; he put it back.  “You know, as long as we don’t eat anything Paige makes, and Tony doesn’t sing, I think we’ll be fine.”

“No campfire songs, got it.”

They sat around the fire, made some food, and talked for a few hours before snapping branches approached from the pitch-black woods.  Paige appeared in silence, unrelated to the snapping noises behind her.  Tony showed up moments later, pulling sticks and burrs off his coat. 

Harry saw Robin tense out of the corner of his eye.  His instincts were usually good; something was going to happen.

Paige approached the fire; was there a bit more red on her dress than before?  Or was it just a trick of the light? 

“Camping is just  _lovely_ , don’t you think dear?”  She called to Tony.

He stayed behind her, reluctant to get between her and the fire. 

“It’s an utter waste of time.”  He muttered.  “I should’ve brought more work with me…”

Paige rolled her eyes almost audibly.  She grabbed a spare chair, and sat by the fire.  Tony hesitated, but joined her.  Paige leaned over, resting her head against his shoulder.  He wrapped an arm around her, and a genuine smile hinted at his mouth.

Their acts at being a couple never failed to confuse and slightly repulse Harry.  Robin’s marshmallow was on fire.  Paige leaned over to kiss Tony’s cheek. 

Harry reacted a split second after he saw Robin move; both grabbed at the back of Manny’s shirt to pull him back from the fire as Paige viciously knotted her hand in Tony‘s hair.

She shoved forward, bringing them both out of the chairs and kneeling in front of the flames, Tony giving an undignified yelp just before his face was forced into the fire.  The wood popped and cracked, embers flying upwards, and Tony started screaming.

Distantly, all Harry could think was that he shouldn’t be opening his mouth in there.

Paige’s face was pulled into a pained snarl; her arm was in the fire as well, still holding him down.  She growled through her teeth and swapped hands, holding her other arm out and away, shaking.  The already black skin on her arms hid the charring that had to be there, but Harry could see a nauseating split snaking up her arm, exposing dark muscle that looked orange in the firelight.  Paige shifted, climbing onto Tony’s back and pinning him down, her knee immobilizing one arm.  Tony kicked and howled, trying to throw her off and batting at the fire with his free hand, sending sparks and cinders flying around the campsite; his glove quickly caught as he tried to throw the coals away.

Paige’s affinity for fire had permanently ruined Harry’s taste for red meat.  The smell of neighborhood barbeques made him sick, and he suspected it had the same effect on the others. 

A large piece of flaming wood was thrown out of the fire and toward their tent; Harry kicked it away before anything could catch. 

After what seemed like hours, Paige let go, leaning back as Tony gave a weak shudder, and went still.  Her burned hands were tensed, looking almost like claws as she stood, shaking her head to fluff her hair.  The three of them were frozen.  Harry and Robin blocked Manny behind them, hoping to at least give him a headstart if Paige turned on them.

She gave them a smile, and righted one of the upturned chairs, sitting down.  Tony’s head was still in the fire, the sight thankfully obscured by wood and flames. 

“Hmm, he can stay there for the night.”  Paige said.  “We  _are_  on vacation after all… Oh, isn’t the night sky beautiful out here?”  She murmured, looking up at the stars. 

They were silent until her head tilted down, giving a slight glance; mumbled agreements followed, and Paige went back to admiring the sky. 

As unwilling as he was to leave Paige unsupervised with a fire, it would probably be best to go to bed, or at least hide in the tent for a while.  Harry inclined his hear toward the tent, and Robin nodded. 

Harry found himself unable to sleep.  Not for the mild discomfort of the hard ground under the tent, but because Paige was just outside, doing potentially _anything_.  He lied there, listening to crickets and straining his ears to hear if the crackling of the fire was intensifying.  Eventually, there was shuffling noise, and a zipper being closed.  Harry checked his phone; 2:43 AM.  He peeked out of the tent, to find the fire had nearly died down, Tony’s head covered in ash and barely glowing cinders, still unmoving.  Paige was nowhere to be found, presumably, hopefully, having gone to bed. 

Sleep finally came after a few more hours, well after his friends had passed out for the night.  It seemed like he had finally closed his eyes when he was jolted awake by the sound of chaos.

Shouting, shrieking, and the sound of things being knocked over rang out, and Harry sat up, clawing open the tent on instinct.  His friends woke too, slightly groggier from being in a deeper sleep, but crowded at the opening to see what was happening too.

Tony was struggling with a closed, writhing sleeping bag.  For a second Harry was terrified it was another camper, but quickly recognized the yelling as Paige.  Tony’s clothes were immaculate once again; no sign of any burnt edges.  Harry never knew how he did it; did he several sets?  Did they somehow regrow with his flesh as he revived?  Did he simply reverse time on them?  He wasn’t about to ask, and certainly not right now. 

Cursing snarled out of the bag, the zipper stuck somehow, and Tony dragged it across the ground, toward the lake.  He stopped, alerted by the sound of fabric tearing.  Tony released the writing bag and stomped on it, holding Paige down inside.  In a flash, his sword was in his hand and sunk through the bag; things were still for a few moments before wordless, muffled yelling began ringing out through the camp. 

   Red streaks followed him along the ground as he resumed dragging Paige toward the water.  He picked it up at the water’s edge and threw it; the sleeping bag flew out over the water in an arc, landing with a splash and initially floating.  The flailing from inside became more panicked as the fabric soaked up water and got heavy, beginning to sink.  Tony watched from the shore, arms crossed.

_Oh god please drown before any other campers see._ Harry thought.

The last corner of the sleeping bag disappeared from view, slipping under the water’s surface silently, only a dissipating red patch remaining. 

Tony turned back, walking into the middle of the clearing and putting the area back in order.

“I do hope you three weren’t also planning on sleeping  _late_.”  He said, not looking up.

_They weren’t_.

The rest of the day went by somewhat peacefully; Tony didn’t seem quite sure of what to do with himself while Paige was dead.  He inspected the various watches he had brought with him, opening them up and scrutinizing the clockwork before closing them back up and doing the same to another. 

Meanwhile, Harry, Robin, and Manny decided to go on a hike; swimming was certainly out of the question at this point.  It was a nice chance to relax after what had happened last night and this morning.  They even saw a deer, grazing a little ways off the path before noticing them and running. 

Back at the campsite, Tony had apparently wandered off.  At first, Harry merely hoped he wasn’t terrorizing a group of hikers; then he remembered his _car_. 

His friends stayed behind as Harry ran along the path, trying to cover the 20-minute hike in a far shorter span of time. 

_Please please please_ He begged; if Tony had taken the car they’d be absolutely screwed. 

The car came into view, and he slowed to a stop, panting. 

_Well that was a waste of ti-_ Harry shook his head, the phrase automatically putting him on edge.   He turned back, walking at a more moderate pace, thankful they weren’t stranded. 

As he returned to the clearing, he saw Tony towering off to the side, looking down at-

_Manny_

Robin was on the ground, trying desperately to preform CPR on an unresponsive Manny. 

“Oh, welcome back.”  Tony said as Harry rushed forward, sounding somewhat bored. 

“ _Paige poisoned something_ ”  Robin’s voice jumped with each chest compression.  “I don’t know what.” 

“What did he eat?!”  Harry kneeled down next to Robin, checking Manny’s pulse; nothing.

“A marshmallow, but I had one too and didn’t feel anything.”  Robin leaned down, trying to breathe air into Manny’s lungs. 

No response. 

Harry looked up at Tony, his expression pleading.

“ _What_?”  Tony asked, as if he had no idea what Harry wanted.

“Please help him.” 

“Why should I?”

Harry’s mouth opened slightly, but not sound came out.  His heart raced, his brain unable to form a sentence.   _Was he really about to lose his friend_?  He had gotten almost accustomed to seeing the people he cared about reanimated; the reality of truly losing someone stunned him. 

After a few moments, Tony gave an irritated sigh and pulled a glove off.  Soon Manny was alive again, and Tony sulked off into the tent, his entertainment apparently gone. 

Paige eventually crawled to shore, soaked and furious.  Now was not the time to ask exactly what she had poisoned, and they stayed out of her way as she stomped through the camp.   Harry had never seen anyone unzip a tent so violently.

Harry flinched at the intensity of the cursing coming from the tent; there was yelling and a choking noise, though he didn’t know from who.

The commotion died down; Harry started on a new fire. 

The evening went by peacefully.  A moment of tension when Tony and Paige walked out together, but after that things went well.  Without being sure of what Paige had poisoned, they kept to food that was still sealed.

They went to bed before those two came back.  Slightly worrying, but it was probably for the best. 

The next morning was spent packing; they all agreed on cutting the trip short before anyone else died.  The packing came to a halt once the other tent was all that was left.  Hesitantly, Harry opened the tent, hoping it was empty.

Tony and Paige were inside, tangled up together and still asleep among a pile of several unfamiliar sleeping bags.  They were also absolutely covered in blood. 

Harry didn’t get a chance to speak before Tony opened his eyes and squinted at him.  Paige mumbled, and lifted her head as well.  She tried to sit up, but Tony gave an annoyed groan and held on to her.

She rubbed at her face, a splash of red caked across her cheek.  “Are we going home already…?”

He really should’ve left them here.

 


	7. Prison

‘Eavesdropping’ was a pretty word with ugly connotations.  Paige didn’t think of this as eavesdropping.  Her friends always kept information from her; it was useless punishing them for rudeness at this point, they just wouldn’t learn. 

“Ok-ok no I-  Robin it’s gonna be-“  Shrill chattering from the phone.  “What?!   _What_  was in the car?”  A pause.  “ _Shit_ …Ok I’ll be- No I have to find a ride, I’ll be there as soon as I can.  Have you been charged yet?  Ok- ok good you haven’t talked to-“

She was pressed against the wall beside the door, listening carefully.  Tony entered the dining room, and her hand shot out, motioning for him to stop.  She pressed a finger to her lips, and inclined her head toward the kitchen where Harry was frantically speaking on the phone.

The anger that had flared up from being told to stop abated, and he joined her at the doorframe, standing beside her and leaning over to listen.

“Yeah- yeah I’m leaving now.  I’ll be there in half an hour.  Bye.”  He hung up.

Tony looked down to her and raised an eyebrow; he hadn’t caught enough to understand.  She mouthed the word ‘jail’.  Tony’s eyes lit up, and he grinned. 

They heard Harry going up the stairs; he said something to Manny, and a door closed.  Tony and Paige entered the kitchen and waited for him to come back.

He was pulling his coat on when he slowed to a stop on the stairs, frowning at them.

“Where are you off to?”  Paige asked sweetly.

“Oh- uh, Robin got a flat, I’m gonna go pick him up.”

“With what car, exactly?”  Tony asked.

Harry blinked; his internal panic was almost audible.  “He-  I’m calling a friend to pick him up, and riding…with…”

Paige’s grin grew as his face fell; even  _he_  knew he was caught.

“Afraid you’re not going to be leaving right now.”  Tony said.

“But don’t worry about dear Robin, we’ll help you get him out!” 

“It’s just not the right time.”

 “But-“

“ _We’ll handle it_.”  Her tone made the words a threat, and Harry closed his mouth.

“I-I can’t call him back, though!  He’s expecting me to show up!”

“I’m sure he’ll be  _very_  disappointed.”  Tony pulled out a pocketwatch, peering at it.  “He can learn to wait.”

“When will…how long is he gonna be stuck there?!” 

Paige adored his rising panic.  “Just until tonight, be patient, dear.”

Harry sighed, absolutely miserable.  He trudged back upstairs; he wouldn’t be able to get anywhere without a car, so there wasn’t much to worry about.

Tony and Paige spent the day preparing.  Neither of them had interacted with this  _particular_  jail, so they needed a backup plan. 

“What  _did_  you leave in the car, love?”  Tony asked once Paige had explained the conversation.

“Mmm, I’m not sure exactly what did it.  Stolen cards, poisons, weapons; I can’t imagine they’ve found any hair or blood at this point, but they may, given the chance.” 

“Shall we save the car?”

“It probably  _would_  be easier to take it back, just to erase the trail they have.”  Paige’s hand hovered over an assortment of vials, indecisive. 

“We’ll have to visit the impound lot, then.”                                             

After a few more hours of planning and preparing, it was nearing 10 pm.  Harry was getting increasingly anxious, and Tony had eventually snapped at him for his relentless pacing around. 

“Harry dear, would you like to come with us?”  Paige called up the stairs when they were ready to leave. 

Harry came down the stairs at once, coat already on.

“Wait, how are we getting there?”  He asked as he followed the two of them out into the dark.

“We’ve got a car across the street.”  Tony replied, flipping through a huge ring of keys.

“The- hold on, the  _stolen_  car?!” Harry stopped on the sidewalk for a moment, before jogging to catch up.

Paige looked back, raising an eyebrow.  “Is there a problem?”

“We can’t take a stolen car to a  _police station!_ ” 

“We can, actually.”  Tony finally found the key and unlocked the car.

Harry balked.

“You can stay home if you’d like.”  Paige said, leaning her head out the window. 

Tony started the car, not waiting; he was already backing out onto the street when Harry pulled the door open, jumping in.  Every time Paige looked back at him, his hands were clutching so hard to the seat she half-expected him to tear through the fabric.

            “How much is his bail, dear?”  She asked on the way.

            “It’s-“

            “Does it matter?”  Tony interrupted.

            “It doesn’t  _matter_  but I’m  _curious_.”  She cast him a glare; he took his eyes off the road to return it.

            “Sixteen thousand.  They found narcotics in the glove box, and-“

            “I  _told_  you about leaving tranquilizers lying around, Paige.”

            “If he hadn’t been pulled over they wouldn’t have found them!”

             “A-and three daggers under the seat.”

            Paige turned her head to Tony, smirking.  He wouldn’t look at her.

            They reached the station and parked across the street, out of view of the cheap, single outside camera.  The station seemed underfunded; predictable for a small town, and perfect for them.

            “Do you see the cable?”  She asked as they sat in the car, looking at the station.

            Tony got out.  He walked down the street, crossing a few yards away.

            Paige heard Harry inhale, about to ask some question; her hand raised quickly, index finger up, silencing him.

            They watched as Tony approached the building from the side, under the view of the camera trained on the parking lot and front door.  He touched the steel case around the camera wire; he stayed still for a few moments before turning and waving in a ‘come here’ gesture.

            Paige hopped out of the car, allowing Harry to follow.   Tony gave them a smirk as they went entered, staying outside and leaning against the wall.

            Paige scanned the room.  Someone behind a counter, and an officer at a computer, sitting beside an empty desk.  Slow night.  Presumably there was someone watching the security cameras…

            “Can I help you?”  Called out an annoyed voice from behind the counter, the officer at the computer looking up.

            Paige gave Harry a nudge, and he jumped.  He approached the window, clearly confused. 

            “Uh- I’m here to bail out my friend…”  She heard him say. 

            After an exchange, Harry patted down his pockets, looking for the driver’s license she had taken.  The color drained from his face as he realized it was gone; the fear in his eyes when he looked at Paige was adorable.  Poor thing probably thought he had ruined everything.

            “Fuck.”  Came a voice from a hallway off to the side.  Another police officer appeared, looking annoyed.  “Something’s happened to camera 4, I have to go check it.”  He stormed outside.

            “Oh!”  Paige said, looking down in the purse she had brought.  “Oh Harry dear, your ID is right here; it must’ve fallen in my purse when everything was on the counter.”  She pulled the card out, a paper-thin layer of ink on her fingertips. 

            Paige held the cyanide-coated license out to the person at the desk, smiling apologetically. 

            “Thanks.”  The clerk looked from the license to Harry, turning the card over and typing at the computer.  Paige kept her face blank, watching bare fingers touch the card.  “You two can have a seat.” 

            Paige and Harry walked over to the row of seats along the wall and sat down.  Neither spoke while; the only sound in the room was an unbalanced ceiling fan and the clacking of two keyboards.

            They waited.  Harry fidgeted.  Paige didn’t have to look to tell the clerk was getting dizzy and weak.  She knew that the words on the screen were swimming around, the keyboard was getting illegible, the room was spinning.

            He wouldn’t die; at least not right now.  It wasn’t enough to kill through skin absorption, but it was enough to be harmful.  She allowed herself to look over when his chair slid out, noisily scraping across the floor.  He stood unsteadily, heading around the counter to a side door.

            “You okay, Rob?”  The officer asked.

            “Y-yeah, my head just…I must’ve caught something from…”  He took three steps toward the hall and fell to his knees, panting.

            “Hey, Rob!”  The officer shouted, standing to rush over.

            He didn’t quite make it over before Paige was on him, sweeping his legs out from under him and wrapping her arm around his throat.  He let out a surprised gagging noise before the needle was in his neck; Paige hadn’t known what she would be dealing with, so the dosage was a guess.

            He went limp and she let him fall.  She planted her foot on the dazed clerk’s back, keeping him from crawling away.  The glance she gave to Harry was solely to admire his stunned expression.

            The door chime rang, and Tony strolled inside, dragging the security camera officer behind him.  He locked the door.

            “Hmm, you didn’t ruin it.  I’m surprised.”  He said, approaching Paige.

            Paige inclined her head toward the body he just brought in.  “Did you kill him?” 

            “He struggled too much.”

            Paige scoffed. 

            A whimper from under her foot.  They both looked down.  Tony’s sword was out and cracking through his chest before Paige could object.

            “Hey!  What if we needed him?!”  Paige yelled.

            “We have one right here.”  Tony pointed the now-dripping sword at the drugged officer on the floor.  “Besides, he can be woken up early if need be.”

            She glared at him as he moved to the still-living cop, leaning down and taking the ring of keys on his belt. 

            Harry finally broke his silence. “Guys what the  _fuck_  are you doing?!”  He blurted out.  “These are police!  They-They’re not just some drifters that can disappear without question; there’s gonna be  _investigations_!  A station full of dead cops?!  We-“

            Paige and Tony looked at each other, trying not to laugh. 

            “Do you really think this is the first police station we’ve broken into?”  Tony asked, chuckling.

            Harry opened his mouth, and closed it without making a sound.

            “Last time, they found us both dead off the side of the highway, and they took his sword.  The precinct there was much bigger than this; that was a fun one.”

            “We  _know_  we can’t leave them dead, Harry.”  Tony shook his head and sighed on the way to the hallway.

            Paige lifted the cop under his shoulders, dragging him toward his computer.  “We kill them, take what we need, break the cameras, delete the records, and wake them up on the way out.  They’re  _so_  disoriented when they start breathing again.”  She hefted him up on a chair, his head lolling around limply.

            “Ask him if there’s anyone else in the station.”

            Paige grabbed the man’s jaw, straightening his head and forcing him to look at her.  “I have a question for you.” 

            The man mumbled in response, giving a feeble nod.

            “Can you tell me if anyone else is working here tonight?”

            His head shook.

            Paige gave Tony a thumbs-up, and Tony headed off for the cells.

            “Don’t you want to congratulate Robin on his renewed freedom?”  She asked Harry. 

            He looked around, alarmed, and stepped nervously out of the way of the spreading pool of blood.  “Y-yeah.”  He turned away, following after Tony.

            While they were gone, Paige had her new friend access Robin’s file and erase this little incident.  She looked up the evidence numbers on what they found in the car, and checked which impound lot currently had the vehicle. 

            A quiet gasp made her look up.  Robin and Harry were at the doorway; Robin was clearly not prepared to see just how his release had come about.  His eyes scanned the room, horrified.

            “Robin!”  Paige called from the desk.  He looked up, jaw tense.  “I had no idea you had been arrested before, dear!  Gambling troubles?”

            “A-a while ago…”

            “Where’s Tony?” 

            “He said he needed to take care of the security footage.”  Harry’s eyes lingered at the front door.

            “Harry, I need a favor.”

            Harry inhaled slowly.

            “Be a dear and go into the evidence locker and grab the bags labelled ‘207A’ and ‘207B’.  Oh, and you’ll have to get the keys off Tony.”

            A sigh, and Harry was off. 

            “Did you make any friends in prison?”  Paige asked Robin, currently trying to melt through the wall.

            “No I-I was the only one in the cells.”

            “Well be careful speeding, dear, I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”

            Paige’s head snapped up when she saw a police officer enter the room from the hall; her hand was already wrapped around a knife before she recognized Tony.

            She tilted her head, looking the black uniform over as he set his coat and undershirt on the desk.  It was almost aggravating that he had found one that fit him well; as if he needed encouragement to act so authoritative and arrogant.

            “Gloves.”  She said.

            Tony looked at his hands, still clad in white.   He leaned down, peeling the black gloves off the dead officer at his feet; he pulled the badge off too, affixing it to his shirt. 

            “Will he be alright?”  His gloves were off, but not replaced yet.

            The man had passed out; if he wasn’t dead by now, the sedatives wouldn’t kill him.  Paige shrugged.  “He’ll live.”

            “Good.”  Tony pulled the two dead cops near each other, putting a hand on each of their faces.  Blood evaporated, bones clicked back together, and muscles twitched.  He stood when they were both gasping for air, and in the throes of panic attacks; the first time was always the hardest, it seemed.

            Tony pulled his new gloves on, flexing his fingers to get them to fit.  “Let’s go visit impound.”

            Harry reappeared, giving a confused look to Tony but keeping any further comments to himself. 

            “Harry, would you take  _our_  car home?”  Tony held out a key.

            He took it wordlessly.  Robin began to follow when Harry moved toward the door.

            “And where do you think you’re going?” Paige snapped, narrowing her eyes.

            Robin froze, turning around.  “I-“

            “You’ve got a car to drive too.”  She had to raise her voice over the hyperventilating coming from the floor.  Harry took Tony’s clothes and the evidence bags with him.  “Don’t get pulled over!”  Paige had chirped, smiling.

            The station only had three cars at the ready, and Tony grumbled at their quality.  Robin looked nervously at the ground as they decided on a vehicle, wringing his hands.

            “Why the hell do I have to ride in the back?!”  Paige snarled.

            “Only  _officers_  can ride in the front, love.”  Tony replied, straightening his collar.  “The lot attendant would have questions if he saw you in the passenger seat.”

            Paige crossed her arms and glared.  The backseats of police cars couldn’t be opened from inside, and it was his turn.  Tony opened a door and swept his arm out, inviting her in. 

For lack of a better plan, Paige begrudgingly got in the backseat, sneering up at him as she passed by.  Robin sat on the other side, avoiding eye contact.

            Tony sped through traffic, siren blaring.  The impound lot was deserted, just one lonely attendant in a booth.  Tony got out, slamming the door and sauntering toward the booth.  Paige bit her lip to keep from laughing at his exaggerated stance in an attempt to look intimidating.  She’d mock him later, when she wasn’t locked inside a car.

            They talked.  Tony frowned, gesturing toward the car, pointing at Robin.  The attendant looked down at something and shook his head.  Tony leaned forward; Paige could tell he was speaking low, but not saying anything  _directly_  threatening.

            The gate opened.  Tony strolled back to the car, smirking.  He opened Robin’s door.

            “They’ll give you the keys.” 

            Robin got out, standing by the gate and waiting for the attendant to pull the car around.  They followed him out of the lot, and Tony pulled over once they were out of sight; Paige was tapping a long, thin knife on the grate behind Tony’s head. 

            “Say ‘please’” His voice was muffled from outside, hand resting on the door handle.

            “Please open the door so I don’t have to go through the trouble of cutting out your tongue.”

            Tony smiled and let her out.

            They couldn’t joyride for long; these cars typically had tracking devices, and the police would be recovering soon.  They stopped at a gas station, filling a container and splashing a bit on the back seat when no one was looking. 

            An argument erupted over where to burn the car.  Under a bridge?  In an abandoned lot?  Out in the country? 

            Tony parked the car and cut the engine.  He called Harry for a ride as Paige soaked the vehicle in gasoline.  She popped the trunk, tossing more of the liquid in there. 

            “Get it in the front, too.”  Tony said, pulling his badge off and tossing it inside. 

            Paige leaned inside the driver’s side, one hand on the steering wheel for support.  She hadn’t noticed how close he had gotten.

            The cold metal handcuff locked tight around her wrist, the other side attaching to the steering wheel before she could turn around.

            “You  _fucking_ -“

            A match struck.


	8. Animals

He shouldn’t have left it on the table.  Even with her delight at finding it, Paige was astounded at his foolishness. 

            Now she just had to figure out if she wanted to show it to Tony.   On one hand, if he cooperated it might be fun; on the other, he might ruin everything with his rigid schedules and miserable demeanor. 

            Manny’s voice was getting louder from upstairs, accompanied by footsteps that sounded like Robin’s. 

            “It’s on Thursday, I just need someone to sign the permission-“  He stopped cold.

            “Your class is going to the  _zoo_ , is it Manny?”  Paige asked. 

            He stared at her in horror, unable to reply.

            “I’m sure that will be plenty of fun.”  Paige looked down at the paper, feigning surprise.  “Oh, it also says the trip needs volunteer chaperones!”

            “The- um, I-I think they got enough already, everyone signed up before-”

            “Well it couldn’t hurt to try, just in case.”  She placed the paper in his shaking hands.  “Besides, I’m sure Robin would love the zoo!”  She flashed a smile to a tense Robin.

            Manny blinked, confused.

            Paige laughed quietly and walked past the two of them up to her room.  No, she decided, she wasn’t going to tell Tony.  It’d be nice to get out by herself for once.

            Early on Thursday morning, Paige woke before her friends; even before Tony.  Sure, trying to get in as a chaperone would’ve been the easiest option, but she had no intention of herding other ignorant children around all day.  She’d just meet him at the zoo; how was he supposed to properly learn about animals without her there?

            She packed light; without Tony, there wouldn’t be much to give her any trouble.  Two knives, a sharp pen, and just a bit of poison.  She was all ready to leave, and turned to get the keys.

            …Where the hell were the keys?          

            The kitchen was still dark in the greyish dawn, and she  _could’ve_  just missed them.  She checked around the counter and dug through the pockets of her friend’s hanging coats; nothing. 

            Paige narrowed her eyes, looking down at the counter where the keys should have been; had one of her roommates  _misplaced_  them?  She turned sharply to go upstairs to search.  Paige almost let out a yelp at Tony’s sudden appearance.

            He was standing by the table, watching her.  His face was neutral, but she could see the slight anger in his eyes.

            “And what are you doing up so early, dearest?”  He asked.  Now she saw the ring of keys dangling from his fingers; he spun them around absently.

            She smiled, putting on a casual air.  “I’m taking a little trip for the day.”

            “Oh?”  He approached her, pocketing the keys.  “Where, exactly?”

            “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

            “I  _would_.”  He leaned against the counter beside her and crossed his arms.  “You were just going to take the car, leaving me stranded here?  Without even saying goodbye?  Rather  _rude_ , darling.”  He narrowed his eyes, glaring.

            She held his gaze, but her mind was on his hands, watching for any twitch toward that ever-present sword on his hip. “I simply didn’t want to wake you up,  _love_.  Besides, you can walk to town if you’re so  _desperate_  to get out.” 

            “I don’t have the time to walk to town.  Tell me where you were going.”

            “I  _am_  going to the zoo, if you  _must_  know.”

            Tony gave a derisive laugh.  “Really, now?”

            “You’re  _not_  invited.  Give me the keys and stop being so loud.”

            “Or else what?”

            “Or else I’ll lodge an icepick in that nice new  _clock_  you just bought.”

            Tony’s smug expression fell; he was expecting a different threat.  He moved to stand over her, cornering her against the counter, leaning down, giving her a poisonous glare. 

            “If you lay a finger on any clock in this house, I’ll cut your lungs out and watch them inflate as you try to breathe.”  He hissed.

            “Give me the keys, and you won’t have to deal with that  _trouble_.”

            He stood up straight.  “I’m going with you.”

            Paige’s mouth curled up into a disgusted snarl.  “ _Why_?!” 

            “You’re up to something.  I want to know what it is.”  Tony pulled the keys back out of his pocket.

            Paige scowled.

 

* * *

 

   

            Manny leaned over the railing, looking down at the prairie dogs.  They scampered around, occasionally making little barking noises and finding food the zookeepers had hidden around the enclosure.  The little chubby rodents popped in and out of burrows; Manny had no idea how many were actually in there, every time he tried to count them, more seemed to show up.

            Robin walked up, handing him a bright green slushie.  Both wore red shirts, emblazoned with the school’s name; the zoo was dotted with other small groups dressed exactly the same.  Manny really couldn’t believe  _those two_  didn’t mess this up the second Paige had picked up that paper, he was positive one or both would…attack the bus, or destroy the zoo, or  _something_. 

            The slushie was great; everything tasted better when you were sure it wasn’t poisoned. 

            “Can we go see the hyenas?”  Manny asked.

            “Sure buddy, let’s find them.”  Robin unfolded a colorful map.

            They headed off to where the big cartoon hyena was on the pamphlet, weaving around the other zoo patrons.  Manny got distracted a few times on the way, particularly by the otters swimming and playing, and the bright, chattering parrots. 

              Manny peered over the metal bars when they finally reached the hyenas.  A deep, sloping pit lined the enclosure against the edge, keeping the lazy carnivores from being able to escape. 

            “I’m gonna go get some popcorn; don’t wander too far off, okay?” 

            Manny nodded, and turned back to watch the animals.  Most of them were curled up, sleeping; one was chewing on a stick, gnawing on it with its back teeth.  He hoped he could hear one of them laugh.

            A hand clapped onto his shoulder.  He knew at once it wasn’t Robin.

            “Manny!”  His breath seized up when he heard that voice.  “Did you know that hyenas can run almost 60 kilometers per hour?”  Tony said, cheerfully.

            “And,” he felt like he was hyperventilating as a second hand was placed on his other shoulder, the two of them standing on either side.  “They can deliver a bite with a pressure of over 800 kilos.  That’s enough to crush…well,  _anything_  in the human body, for sure.”

            “They’re not canines, but they do remind me of hunting dogs.”  He said to Paige, looking over Manny’s head at her.

            “Because they don’t necessarily kill their prey before starting to eat?”

            “That’s exactly why!”

“Speaking of which; Tony, darling, do you know when feeding time is?” 

            Both hands tightened on his shoulders. 

            “You know, I think it’s going to be  _very_  soon.”

 

* * *

            “So, you actually managed to lose them?”  Harry asked, all of them sitting in the living room. 

            “The uniform shirts actually paid off; they couldn’t pick either of us out of a crowd, but we could see them a mile away.”   Robin said.

            The TV was quiet background noise; Manny was still a bit shaky, understandably so after nearly being thrown into a pit full of wild animals. 

            Miraculously, there was no backlash when Tony and Paige got home a few hours later.  They were both in unsettlingly good moods, but somehow no one ended up dead that night.

            Harry opened a cabinet next morning before work, the kitchen thankfully free of any blood or bodies.  He grabbed a box of cereal; he didn’t always get the chance to eat breakfast, and he was thankful Paige and Tony weren’t here to prevent it.

            “ _Harry_ ” Robin called, from the living room.  “ _you should really come here_.”  His voice was strained, terrified.  Harry rushed to the room, cereal box still in hand.

            “-possibly for sale in the illegal pet trade, or on the black market.”  The newscaster was saying when Harry got within earshot.  “The break-in was not recorded on any camera in the facility; officials cite a defect in the monitoring software, and the cause is being investigated.  If anyone has any information on the whereabouts of the harpy eagle, the crocodile, or any of the highly venomous snakes that were stolen or possibly released last night, they are urged to contact the authorities as soon as possible.”

            Robin and Harry stared at the TV as the news story changed. 

            Inside the cereal box, something writhed.


	9. Animals: Alternate Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had been bribed to write the bad end for the last challenge. Warning for a lot more gore.

A hand clapped onto his shoulder.  He knew at once it wasn’t Robin.

            “Manny!”  His breath seized up when he heard that voice.  “Did you know that hyenas can run almost 60 kilometers per hour?”  Tony said, cheerfully.

            “And,” he felt like he was hyperventilating as a second hand was placed on his other shoulder, the two of them standing on either side.  “They can deliver a bite with a pressure of over 800 kilos.  That’s enough to crush…well,  _anything_ in the human body, for sure.”

            “They’re not canines, but they do remind me of hunting dogs.”  He said to Paige, looking over Manny’s head at her.

            “Because they don’t necessarily kill their prey before starting to eat?”

            “That’s exactly why!”

“Speaking of which; Tony, darling, do you know when feeding time is?” 

            Both hands tightened on his shoulders. 

            “You know, I think it’s going to be  _very_  soon.”

* * *

 

            Manny gripped desperately to the railing in front of him.  He could barely hear the noise of the crowds around him over his heart pounding in his ears.  His vision tunneled, staring down at the tan sand in the enclosure, twenty feet below him. 

            “I’m so glad you stood here dear.”  Paige said, her voice terrifyingly sweet.

            “Yes,  _just_  out of the view of cameras.  There’s a few in the enclosure, of course, but not  _right here_.  We appreciate it, really.”  Tony’s hand on his shoulder pressed forward slightly. 

            “ _No_.” He heard himself softly whine.

            “Awww.” Paige cooed, matching the force of Tony’s hand.  “Come on now Manny, don’t you want to see the hyenas?”

            “Try not to die when you hit the ground.”

            The smooth metal railing slid through his hands.

            Manny didn’t quite register the fall.  It happened too fast; he was just on the ground all of a sudden. 

He heard the crack but didn’t understand it; his ears were ringing, and he couldn’t feel much of anything.  He lied in the dirt, flat on his back, looking up at the dark blue and fuzzy rainbow dots leaning over the railing, grinning down at him. 

Manny struggled to sit up, and steeled himself before looking at his legs.

_Bone._

The word echoed in his mind, eyes widening at the jagged white sticking from his shin; his other ankle was askew, his foot lying in an impossible angle.  Blood was spreading under his leg in little lines snaking through the dirt, and pain started to edge in.

Manny trembled against the growing pulses of agony and looked forward.

It was staring at him.

He hadn’t thought his heart could race any more.  His legs instinctively tried to move, the broken bones sending a paralyzing jolt of pain through him.

            The dog-like creature was trotting toward him.

            Manny clawed into the loose, sandy dirt, trying to drag himself away. 

            He heard yelling above him.

            He felt something cold and wet nudge his broken leg.

            Manny didn’t want to look.

            Manny didn’t have to look.

            Tears were already blurring his vision when the hyena gave an experimental nip to his leg.  Manny whipped around with a cry, throwing a handful of sand and pebbles at the animal’s face.  It flinched, and sank its teeth deep into Manny’s leg. 

            A strangled whimpering sound came from his mouth, and he yanked his leg, resulting in a savage growl.  Manny started to scream when the hyena clamped its mouth down harder, dimly aware of more cracking sounds.  Tears flowed down his cheeks and he leaned forward, hyperventilating, trying to beat at the animal’s face.

            The hyena shook its head, teeth anchored solidly in his calf.  Manny was jerked around and dragged a few feet back, fingers raking paths in the dirt.  Frozen in pain and lying on his back, his saw another animal padding toward him, ears raised with interest.  The animal looking him  _right_  in the eyes, he swore it did.

            “G-get away!”  Manny sobbed, his voice high and frantic. “Get away from me!”  His hands shot out, punching for the second hyena.

            The animal caught his wrist in its mouth, teeth puncturing his skin in an instant; when blood rushed out of the wound, he heard his bones snap.  Another set of jaws locked onto his other leg.

            They started to pull.

 

* * *

 

            Robin was handing over the money when he heard the shouting.  Not the typical chatter of the zoo, nor the awed delight that accompanied one of the sleepy animals doing something interesting.  No, this was  _panic_.  Around the direction he just came from.

             _No no no no_.  Nothing happened.  The animals were probably just fighting.  They were probably just attacking each other, right?  Maybe a zookeeper got hurt.  Nothing had happened to Manny.

            Robin turned and ran toward the shouting crowd, leaving the money at the popcorn counter.

            “Oh my God!”   _No no no no no not that voice.  Not that tone of faux concern he knew so well._ “Someone’s fallen in!”  Paige wasn’t here.  Paige was not here  _that wasn’t Paige yelling._

“Someone get a zookeeper!”   _That wasn’t Tony._ He didn’t know that voice because _it was someone else’s._

            Robin shoved the crowds aside.  They were gathering around the enclosure like vultures.                                                                               

            He heard the screaming before he could see what was happening.

            That…that wasn’t…

             _Manny_.

            Robin hit the edge hard, almost tipping forward himself. 

            He could see the tears and blood from here.  The three hyenas were obscuring much of his body, but he could see Manny’s face.  The animals made yipping, laughing sounds as they tore at him, kicking up dust. 

            “He just hopped right over the railing.”  That smug, mildly amused voice said from behind him. 

            “He  _really_  wanted to see the hyenas.”  Paige added.  “Such a shame no one was there to stop him.” 

            One of the animals gave a jerk and fell back, its face dripping blood.  It dove back in, eliciting another heart-rending shriek from Manny.  Another hyena pulled backwards, opening a mess of glistening red hues across his middle.

             A gunshot deafened Robin.  One animal collapsed without a sound, and a second ran off to cower against the wall.  The third shook its head viciously, Manny’s limp, mangled body ragdolling in its jaws before a second gunshot cracked and stopped all motion in the enclosure.

            Manny wasn’t moving.  From this distance, Robin couldn’t tell if he was breathing, however shallowly.  He was lying facedown in a growing pool of blood; it was flowing from him and the dead hyenas, now running into a drain by the wall.

            “Aw, the poor hyenas…”  Paige murmured softly.

            His knuckles were white, gripping the railing.  He felt dizzy and sick.  How were they going to bring him back, with all the witnesses?   _Were_  they going to bring him back?  What if they didn’t?  What would he tell Harry? 

            “Come on dear, we have to get ahead of the ambulance.”  He heard Tony say. 

            Robin realized he hadn’t even seen them.  He turned around, but they were gone. 

            When he looked back, Manny was covered with a sheet and being hastily carried out of the enclosure. 

            “Please make your way to the exits.”  A woman called, speaking through a megaphone.  “The zoo is now closed for the day, your expenses will be refunded in the mail.” 

            A hand on his shoulder made him jump, and he tore his eyes away from the group carrying Manny out through a door in the enclosure.

            “Sir, I apologize, the zoo is closed.”

            Robin almost told him everything right there.  All of it.  He managed to stop himself; he knew if he started he’d never be able to stop, and he’d either be condemning this man to death or get himself admitted to a mental hospital.  Either way, Robin managed to just stare for a few seconds, barely remembering to choose his words carefully.

            “Th…that’s my…”  He gestured shakily to the empty animal pen.  To the pool of dark blood soaking into the dirt and the hyenas motionless on the ground.

            The realization grew across the employee’s face.  He grabbed the walkie-talkie on his shirt, speaking into it.

            “I have the next of kin here- Alright I’ll take him down.”  He looked to Robin, sympathy clear in his eyes.  “Please follow me, sir.”

            “A representative will meet you at the hospital.” Was all the man said as Robin was led to the waiting ambulance.  He was allowed to ride in the back with Manny.  

            They didn’t turn the siren on. 

            Robin sat on the bench beside the little covered shape on the stretcher, his face buried in his hands.  How could he let this happen?  He never should’ve let Manny out of his sight for a second.  He should’ve known they’d show up; he should’ve  _known_.

            Robin was grateful that the single EMT in the vehicle with him didn’t talk; only wrapped a shock blanket around his shoulders and moved to the passenger seat.  He checked back occasionally, making sure Robin wasn’t doing anything he shouldn’t be.  But Robin just sat there, trembling slightly.  What was he going to  _do_? 

            The ambulance slowed to a stop, and the driver made a short, displeased sound. 

            “What’s blocking it?” One of them asked, as car horns began to honk in front of them.

            “Dunno.  Hope no one’s hurt…”

            They sat there for a few minutes, not moving, other drivers getting increasingly more irritated.

            Robin heard a clatter, and looked up.

            Light flooded in as the back door was wrenched open, the EMT already out of his seat and moving toward it with a shout.

            Tony had to do little more than hold out his sword as the man ran into it, and shoved him off to gasp in shock on the floor. 

            He stepped into the ambulance and pulled the door shut behind him.  Tony had to stoop over in the low ceiling, walking over the man and giving Robin a friendly smile as he grabbed the driver by the hair and slit his throat. 

            “Not even a ‘thank you’?”  Tony asked, unzipping the body bag and grabbing Manny’s face with a bare hand.

            Both men in the ambulance choked and gasped and died as Manny’s wounds healed up.  Manny inhaled and shuddered, tears springing to his eyes; Tony released him, and he tumbled off the stretcher, still mostly stuck in the body bag.

            Robin kneeled down into the half inch of blood now flooding the ambulance floor, picking up a hysterical Manny.

            “Don’t waste time.”  Tony said, moving to the front.  “Paige is waiting.”   He climbed out of the passenger side door, striding through the stopped cars.

            Robin gave a horrified look to the EMT bleeding out from his stomach wound.  “I-I’m so fucking sorry.” He breathed before pulling Manny the rest of the way out of the body bag and following Tony.

            They were given only mildly interested glances as they wove through the vehicles; everyone was mostly interested in what the holdup was. 

            Robin recognized Harry’s car parked sideways across the road, blocking the lanes.  Paige was slumped over in the driver’s seat, bored, playing with a lock of her hair.  She sat up and smiled when she saw them.

            Manny hid his face in the front of Robin’s shirt, still sobbing uncontrollably as they climbed in the backseat.

            Paige barely waited for them to sit down before whipping the car around and speeding off.

            “We should go to the zoo more often!”  She chirped.


	10. Sick

Paige woke up around 10; earlier than she’d usually prefer, but she had a lot of painting to get done.  The sun was going down earlier every day, and several times this week the natural light was lost before she was done. 

She gathered up supplies from her desk and tucked them in her pocket; there were always a few favored brushes or tools she wouldn’t leave in the workshop.  In all likelihood, Tony wasn’t attentive enough to notice which ones were her favorites, but she couldn’t risk it.  A nice sharp knife was jumbled in with the brushes, just in case.

Paige was expecting a nice quiet house when she descended the stairs; roommates off at school or work, Tony with his nose buried in some tedious clockwork, leaving her free to create in peace.  So she was slightly aggravated when she descended the stairs to find Harry in the kitchen, making tea.

She glared silently.  He looked over his shoulder with a worried expression; it clearly had been on his face long before she entered the room.  He turned away from her, putting a spoon of honey in the tea and hurrying away with the mug.  Paige tilted her head.

He winced as she followed him, though Paige was more motivated by curiosity than bloodlust at this point.  Harry made his way into the living room, careful not to spill the hot liquid. 

On the couch a bundle of blankets was curled up and shivering.  A soft whimper emanated from them as Harry kneeled down beside the couch and gently pulled the blankets back, revealing a tired, bleary Manny.  Manny shakily took the mug with both hands. 

“Be careful, it’s hot.”  Harry said.  He turned up to Paige, brows furrowed in concern.  “Look, he’s sick.  Just…let him recover for just a little while, please?”

Paige sighed and rolled her eyes.  This was  _pathetic_.  She turned away; she had better things to do today.  Anyway, trying to  _teach_  someone already so weak was boring.

In the workshop, Tony was hunched over clockwork.  She strolled in to get a canvas; his eyes flicked to her, but he remained at his desk, uninterested in starting a fight.

“So you saw that pitiful scene in the living room?”  He remarked.  “Humans are so feeble.”  He shook his head with a chuckle.

 “Aren’t they?  It’s a wonder they survive at all.”   Paige smirked to herself; it was hard not to feel superior in the presence of something so pathetic.

She took what she needed and headed outside to paint.

In the afternoon, Paige was in the kitchen, making some coffee for herself.  The front door opened, and she heard Robin’s voice murmuring; he must be home on his lunch break.

“-blankets, also soup, some cough syrup-“  he came to a sudden stop, hesitating in the doorway at the sight of Paige.  He had a cloth shopping bag, and edged into the kitchen to start nervously putting things away.

She watched him, silently.  Robin hurried upstairs, returning with an armful of blankets and pillows, bringing them into the living room without making eye contact. 

Throughout the day, Harry continued to worry over Manny; Paige was curious.  Sickness was never something she quite understood; reactions from poison and infected injuries, sure, but things like diseases and flus were  _interesting_.   They were harder to run her own experiments on, so she had less experience with them. 

Manny’s condition hadn’t improved by the time Robin got off work.  Paige occasionally strolled into the living room to observe; he was coughing, murmuring in a raw voice that he was dizzy, pained, and exhausted.  She learned his fever was staying mostly around 39 degrees, and he shivered constantly.  Tony seemed uninterested at best, but they both seemed to agree that now was a bad time to try to play any games with their roommates.

Night fell.

 

* * *

 

The house still smelled of cheap lemon tea and cough syrup when Tony woke.  Manny had been moved upstairs to his room during the night, and the constant, disgusting coughing was enough to make him want to go in shut him up.  The other two had been getting increasingly more troubled, and it was beginning to get on Tony’s nerves. 

Even the stillness of the early morning was stolen from him, with his roommates in a panic over Manny’s state.  At 6:03, they decided to take him to the hospital, and the house was blissfully quiet once more. 

Hours later, the minute hands of every clock in the house ticked to 12:45, and Paige was still asleep.  Tony’s eye twitched.

He stormed upstairs.  Tony pounded on her door, and waited for the sound of some movement from inside.  Nothing.  He banged on the door louder, calling her name; this time he caught a low groan from inside. 

The door wasn’t locked.

Tony entered her room, angry.  The lights were off, and her curtains were drawn, filling the room with muted, greyish tones.  Paige was curled up on her bed, obscured by blankets, but he could tell her back was to him; probably trying to go back to sleep.   _Lazy_.

He grabbed her shoulder and shook.

“Do you have  _any_   _idea_  what time it is?” he snarled.

“ _Leave me alone_.” Her voice was faint.

“Get up.”  He ordered.

Paige let out a whine, and buried her face in the blankets.

“ _Now_.”

She didn’t move.

Tony dug his hand into the mess of blankets, taking hold of a handful of hair.  He pulled her head up and back, revealing her face.  Her covers slipped down, the oversized painter’s smock she used for pajamas messy with splotches of dried color.  She blinked wearily, and stared at him; she didn’t lash out. 

“I’m not in the mood for games.”

“Tony.  I’m  _sick_.” 

Tony snorted.  “You’re not sick.  We don’t  _get_  sick, Paige.  Get out of bed.”

“I  _can’t_.”  She sounded frustrated; upset, even. 

Tony reached for his sword, lifting her head further with the other hand.  In a flash the blade was at her throat, resting just against the soft skin there.

“So you’re deathly ill; you wouldn’t mind if I took your head, then?”  He smirked.

Paige frowned, looking up at him helplessly.  She was completely limp, arms hanging at her sides, putting up no resistance; it  _must_  hurt for her to be held up by her hair like this…

The blade pressed down a bit harder, and a tiny line of blood fell from her neck.  It was his turn, and nothing was keeping him from lopping her head off right now; not even Paige. 

She winced at the cut, and squeezed her eyes shut with a soft whimper.

Tony swallowed hard and grit his teeth, tightening his grip on her hair.

Nothing moved.

His sword clacked back in its scabbard, and he released Paige’s hair, giving her a push back toward the bed.  She bounced slightly on the blankets, and curled back up, hiding her face and coughing.

“ _Fine_.  If you want to play at being sick, don’t bother me with it.”

He turned on his heel and left, slamming her door.

This was  _ridiculous_.  Paige was up to something, and he didn’t especially want to fall for it. 

No matter.  She’d tire of her little game soon, and she’d be downstairs pestering him in a few hours.  Tony made coffee and got back to work.

Tony peered at a clock; 3:23.  Paige hadn’t even gotten out of bed, much less come downstairs to bother him.  He tapped his fingers in half second intervals.  Paige wasn’t sick.   _He_  had never been sick, and as far as he knew she hadn’t either, so there was nothing wrong with her now.  They weren’t fragile little humans, and they couldn’t contract fragile human illnesses.

Upstairs, Paige was silent.

She was in and out of the living room all day yesterday.  Always poking around, trying to figure out how things worked; she couldn’t have caught anything, could she?  Whatever the kid had was enough to send him to the hospital; the other two might be sick as well, by this point.

She probably wanted to sleep the day away so she could keep him up tonight with some loud, irritating activity.  He wasn’t going to have that.

Tony made the trip back upstairs and into Paige’s room; lights still off, Paige-shaped lump still on the bed.  He approached, laying his hand on her shoulder, ready to give her another shake-

She was  _shivering_. 

He pulled his hand away.  “Paige?” 

“ _Go away_.” She groaned, her voice cracking, rough and low.  She curled up tighter.

“Is- …” Tony trailed off.

Paige didn’t give any indication that she had heard him.  She sniffled, giving a tiny whimper.

He was at a loss.  He left her room, leaving the door cracked. 

Had she felt hot?  Feverish?  He couldn’t tell; her temperature naturally seemed to fluctuate with her mood.  It changed so often he stopped trying to find a pattern with it, but now he wish he had. 

            Tony found himself wandering into the kitchen.  What was the worst that could happen?  She could  _die_?  She died at least once a week, usually more.   He filled a kettle and put it on the stove to boil.  It wasn’t some event he should concern himself with.  Anyway, she didn’t seem deathly ill; she was still hostile.  She’d recover just fine;  _if_  she was even actually unwell, which he  _doubted_.

Tony opened the poison cabinet, nudging the bottles aside to reveal a line of tea canisters.  His hand hovered over them, reaching for her favorite- no.  One she  _liked_ , but not her favorite. 

Paige was clearly acting, and she wasn’t doing a particularly good job of it.  He set the leaves to steep for three minutes exactly, and added lemon.  It was lemon, right?  He carried the tea upstairs, accelerating a few minutes of time on the mug to cool it down. 

Paige didn’t stir as he pushed her door open and walked in.  He stood over her bed, warm tea in hand.

“There was extra tea dear, and it seemed wasteful to throw it out.”  Tony set the mug on her nightstand.

She rolled over, peeking out of the blankets, eyes moving first to Tony and then to the tea. 

            Paige gingerly lifted herself to a sitting positon, and picked up the mug; it trembled in her hands.  She sniffed at it, narrowing her reddened eyes at him.  He watched as she hesitantly sipped the tea, and stifled a cough.

            Paige set the mug back on the nightstand, and Tony frowned.  She nestled back into her blankets, turning away from him. 

            His brows furrowed.  He looked her over; arms hugged around her sides, shivering in the comfortably-heated room.  She didn’t even mock him for bringing her tea.  Tony left before she could roll over and see his face.

            “It’s not poisoned.”  He said as he walked out.

             “Mmhm.” Paige mumbled in response.

            Downstairs, Tony tried to distract himself with a book.  He knew Paige was faking.  Even setting aside the fact that neither of them could get sick, he knew enough about illnesses to understand that symptoms didn’t show themselves so quickly after exposure.  So what was wrong with her?

             _Nothing_.  He internally snapped at himself.   _She’s trying to trick you_.

            So why was he wracking his brain, trying to figure out how to help?

            Blankets.  She was shivering, and he thought he saw his roommates carting bedding around for Manny…

            The sound of a key in the lock made Tony snap his head up, glaring at the front door.  Robin leaned his head inside, a grimace flashing across his face when he saw Tony; he looked tired.

            He made his way into the living room, avoiding eye contact and moving quickly. 

            “ _Robin_.”  Tony snapped when he was nearly out of the room.

            He jumped at Tony’s voice.  “Y-yes?”  he didn’t turn around.

            “Go buy blankets and pillows.” 

            He looked at Tony, confused.  “What?  But I need to get Manny’s-”

            “I don’t  _care_.  Go, now.”  He snarled.  “Don’t come back with anything  _cheap_ , either.” 

            Robin’s mouth moved for a second, but no words came out.  He let out a lost, frustrated sigh and pulled out his phone, already heading back outside.

            “Harry?  Yeah, I’m sorry, I have to…”  He chattered on his way out.

            Tony sat back in the armchair and scowled back down at his book; Robin had better be quick. 

            The silence was unnerving when he knew Paige was alive and in the house. 

He hated that he wanted to check on her.

            He hated that he couldn’t stop himself from getting up and walking upstairs.

            The mug was half empty now, he saw.  That was good, wasn’t it?  Paige seemed to be asleep now, but her breathing was too fast.  He was about to pull a chair over when she stirred, murmuring sleepily.  He leaned down, trying to hear her faint voice.

            “T…ony?”  she managed.

            “What is it?”

            “Can you heat up my tea?  It’s…cold.” 

            Tony brewed her a new cup. 

            He stayed upstairs while she drank it, dragging a chair over to sit beside her. 

            “How-… _What_  are you feeling?”  He asked.

            “I’m tired, and dizzy.”  Her voice was raspy.  “My throat hurts, like it got burned.  I’m cold.”  She pressed a hand to her forehead.  “But I don’t think I’m  _cold_.”  She looked up at him; she was  _worried_.

            Tony hesitantly reached out, lightly touching her forehead where her hand had been.  She felt hot; 45.5 degrees.  Had she ever felt that warm before?  He didn’t know. 

            Downstairs, the front door opened.  Footsteps up the stairs; Tony looked out at the hallway.  Robin appeared, about to go into Manny’s room.

            “Where are the blankets?”  Tony growled.

            “Th-They’re downstairs I didn’t-“

            “ _Go get them_.”

            Robin returned with an armful of plush blankets and soft pillows, bringing them into Paige’s room. 

            Paige looked at the blankets, questioningly.

            “Why’re they grey?”  she murmured.

            Tony glared furiously at Robin.  “Why did you get  _grey_?!”

            “I-I didn’t know what they were f-“

            “Take them back!”  He looked over at Paige.  “What color do you want?”

            “Mm, red.”

            “Get  _red_.” He snarled to the cowering mess in front of him.

            Robin eventually returned with the right hue, and Tony allowed him to run off and collect things from Manny’s room and leave.  Meanwhile, he arranged the pillows and blankets according to Paige’s hazy directions, until she finally nuzzled her face into the dark red cloth and sighed.  

            Paige slept, and Tony worked in his room, leaving both of their doors open.  When a car pulled into the driveway at 8:21, Tony headed downstairs.  Robin was pulling the door closed, tiredly shrugging his coat off.

            “Where’s the other one?” Tony asked.

            “Th-they only let one person stay overnight, and visiting hours are over.  They just want to keep him overnight fo-“         

            “Come with me.”  Tony cut him off, leading an obedient Robin up the stairs.

            He strolled into Paige’s room; Robin fidgeted in the doorway, looking like he was about to bolt at any second.

            “Hmm?”  She half-whimpered as he approached her bed, unexpectedly awake.

            “Do you want anything?”

            Paige thought for a moment, eyeing Robin.  “Soup.  And pomegranate juice.”  She stopped, coughing roughly.  “A-and a new illustration markers.  The 36-count set.”

            Tony looked back, narrowing his eyes at Robin.

            Robin gave a pleading look, earning him nothing.  He turned, shoulders slumped, leaving to run errands once more.

            He stayed with her while Robin was gone; Paige seemed to be getting worse.  She was less coherent now, murmuring disjointedly about color theory or sculpting techniques in her raspy voice, and drifting in and out of consciousness.  She even listened to Tony once her throat hurt too much to talk, nodding at his descriptions of clockwork and history.  Occasionally, she’d ask for a drink, a task which was assigned to Robin once he returned again. 

            At 1:33, Paige finally drifted off to sleep, still trembling with chills and coughing.  As Tony got ready for bed, it dawned on him that he might catch whatever this was as well. 

            The thought entered his mind before he could stop it;  _who would take care of Paige then?_

 

* * *

   

            Paige stretched in the morning, smiling at the light shining through her window.  She kicked the blankets off, hopping out of bed and getting dressed.  She felt rested, and was eager to try out her newly acquired markers.

            Paige skipped downstairs, noting that Manny had been brought home sometime this morning.  He was still sick, but was in better shape, sitting up and watching TV from under a cocoon of blankets. 

            She tossed some bread into the toaster, leaning on the counter to wait. 

            Tony appeared from upstairs, staring at her in a mix of confusion and rising anger.  His face almost made up for the consecutive deaths she would surely face for this.

            “I…you’re not sick…?”

            “Come on now, Tony,” she said, a grin creeping across her face “you know we don’t get  _sick_.”

            In the split second it took for the sword to make the trip from one side of her neck to the other, Paige almost got out a laugh.


End file.
